To Speak of Mourning or of Anything Else: The Historical Muslim Courtesan Film as a Work of Art at/of Mourning

Authors: Tirna Chatterjee and Prateek Rawat

In Derrida and Film Studies, eds. Kamil Lipiński and Andrzej Marzec. Brill Academic Publishers, Value Inquiry Book Series 411, 2025.

This chapter explores the historical Muslim courtesan film in Indian cinema through the lens of Derridean mourning and spectral aesthetics. Drawing on deconstruction and cinematic form, it argues for the courtesan film as a site of cultural loss and aesthetic resistance, engaging film as both document and elegy.

About the volume:
Derrida and Film Studies views Jacques Derrida’s in-depth and meandering ideas within the realm of film. Bringing together audiovisual culture and deconstruction, the book explores the spectral turn of cinema. Seeing the phenomenon of film as impacted by deconstruction and poststructuralism, the essays offer a wide spectrum of perspectives and illustrate the reception of Derrida’s thought for a new generation of philosophers of film. Using both well-known and pioneering methodologies, this rich volume is an essential guide for understanding the importance of spectrality, hieroglyphics, writing and difference, and alterity in film.

Available Here.