“ Disciplining Desire: A Comparative Psycho-Social Analysis of Religious Power, Gender Performativity, and Minority Stress in Leviticus and Call Me by Your Name ”

This study examines the psychological and socio-cultural mechanisms through which religious authority and heteronormative social structures regulate queer desire in Leviticus and Call Me by Your Name. Drawing upon Michel Foucault’s theory of disciplinary power, Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity, and Ilan H. Meyer’s Minority Stress Theory, the paper comparatively analyzes how both films portray same- sex intimacy under conditions of surveillance, repression, and emotional fragmentation. While Call Me by Your Name presents repression through silence, longing, and social restraint, Leviticus externalizes psychological trauma through supernatural horror and religious symbolism. The study argues that both films depict queer identity as shaped by internalized shame and the fear of socialexclusion, though through contrasting cinematic aesthetics. By integrating psycho-social criticism with queer theory and film analysis, this research demonstrates how religious discourse and social normativity function as mechanisms of psychological discipline that obstruct emotional fulfillment and authentic self-expression. Furthermore, the comparative framework highlights how cinematic genre influences the representation of psychological conflict and social oppression. Whereas Call Me by Your Name employs realism, visual intimacy, and restrained dialogue to portray the emotional consequences of heteronormative expectations, Leviticus transforms internalized fear and religious condemnation into supernatural horror, symbolizing the destructive effects of institutionalized intolerance. This interdisciplinary approach demonstrates that both films transcend individual love stories by exposing the broader psychological consequences of moral regulation and cultural exclusion. Ultimately, the study contributes to contemporary scholarship on queer cinema by illustrating how film serves as a critical medium for interrogating the intersections of religion, identity, power, and mental health in modern society. (Butler 121–136; Foucault 194–228; Meyer 52–58.)

کلیدواژه ها:

Queer Theory ، Minority Stress ، Gender Performativity ، Religious Trauma ، Heteronormativity