The "Non-favourite": Neo-tribal Sexualities on Celluloid

Much academic ink has been spilt over the way in which female subjectivities and sexualities are constructed in the public domain. Issues of female sexuality form a huge part of queer studies and feminist accounts. Surprisingly enough, the construction of female sexualities and more specifically bisexuality has never been worth mentioning in the accounts of subcultures. The transition from subcultures to neo-tribes and neo-tribal sociality has paid scant attention to the construction of female sexualities. Even more importantly, most academic accounts deal with the construction of female sexuality as usually being strictly kept within the limitations of the familiar, familial and predominantly straight sexuality. This article examines the ways in which female subjectivities and sexualities are constructed on celluloid canvas through an examination of a recent movie called “Disobedience” by the Chilean director Sebastian Lelio as forming an integral part of neo-tribes. It takes a different view on the construction of female sexualities as it locates this construction within the transition from subcultures to neo-tribes. This paper puts forward the suggestion that female sexuality apart from being a product of a number of different socio-cultural relationships, norms and laws, it mainly exposes the dynamics of not just subcultures but also neo-tribes at play. The first part of the article places the formation of female sexuality within the transition from subcultures to neo-tribes. The second part of the paper discusses the way in which class informs female sexuality within the context of neo-tribes. The final part of the article places the discussion on the construction of female sexualities within the overall context of juxtaposing neo-tribal lifestyle choices

The Unpopularity of Property Law Modules: Popular Culture offers Solutions

The commodification of Legal Education and the popularity of law as a subject of study have been reflected in a plethora of law courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels on offer in the English Universities. Property Law modules do not necessarily enjoy the same degree of popularity to other modules on a qualifying law degree in English Universities. Despite being slowly changing modules, Property Law modules did not remain unaffected by the commodification of legal education. As a result, Property Law became highly specialised. This quickly translated in optional modules such as: Succession Law, Housing Law, Landlord and Tenant Law, Construction Law etc. Nevertheless, Property Law modules remain highly unpopular among the student population in the English Universities. This paper examines the reasons for this by focusing on three parameters. The first parameter examines the nature of the subject itself as highly technical, therefore less adventurous and attractive. The second parameter brings forward the suggestion that neither legal educators nor researchers have actually successfully managed to break away from the monotony of Property Law subjects. The third parameter proposes solutions to the increasing unpopularity of these subjects. It puts forward the suggestion that a socio-legal approach to the subjects combined with appealing forms of popular culture might just increase the popularity of the subjects among the student population

My Days of Mercy and In Between: Echoing Changes in Cinematic Representations of Women Lawyers

The booming of Law and Popular Culture has been marked by an unprecedented production and consumption of a voluminous literature examining a wide range of legal themes in movies and TV series on both sides of the Atlantic, the UK and the US. The enthusiastic proponents of the field have been focusing mainly on examining issues of justice, plot, and lead characters in the role of lawyers. Partly, this literature draws parallels between cinematic representations of lawyers and real-life lawyers. Almost indiscriminately, this work focuses mainly on a critical analysis and investigation of cinematic representations of male lawyers, rendering women lawyers’ cinematic portrayals largely unexplored on both sides of the Atlantic. Middle Eastern women lawyers’ celluloid representations are even more limited, functioning as a constant reminder of this ever-present absence. This paper seeks to address this absence by examining a relatively small sample of films from both the Anglo-American and Middle Eastern cinematic traditions. It puts forward the suggestion that despite differences characterising the relevant cinematic traditions, cinematic representations of women lawyers remain largely similar