Gázelmélet

Gázelmélet, often translated as "gaze theory" or "gaze concept," is a theoretical framework originating from feminist film theory, most notably articulated by Laura Mulvey in her 1975 essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." The theory posits that mainstream cinema, particularly Hollywood films, is constructed around a male gaze. This means that the camera, the narrative, and the editing techniques are all aligned to present women from a masculine, heterosexual perspective, often objectifying them as passive spectacles for male pleasure.

The theory identifies three distinct but interconnected gazes within cinema: the camera's gaze, the gaze of characters within the film, and the gaze of the spectator. In a patriarchal society, these gazes are predominantly assumed to be male. Women are thus frequently depicted as "to-be-looked-at-ness," their identities and actions often subservient to the male protagonist's journey or desires. This active male gaze contrasts with the passive female role, which is presented for visual consumption.

Mulvey argued that this pervasive male gaze not only reflects but also reinforces patriarchal power structures and contributes to the objectification and subjugation of women in society. While initially focused on film, the concept of the gaze has been expanded and debated by subsequent scholars, who have explored variations such as the female gaze, the queer gaze, and the postcolonial gaze, acknowledging that viewership and representation can be more complex and diverse than Mulvey's initial formulation. The core idea, however, remains a critical lens for analyzing how power dynamics are embedded in visual culture.