Lingerie, Bikinis and the Headscarf

Abstract By tracing the repetitive visual themes and motifs contained in depictions of Muslim female migrants, this study aims to shed light on the various ways the German print media have tackled the issue of migration and represented cultural difference. An analysis of such images suggests that there are three major categories through which female migrants in Germany are visualized: (1) images that focus on alienation and lack of interaction with Muslims; (2) images that focus on contrasting life styles in shared spaces; and (3) images that construct the traditional and the modern via the female body. In most instances these images are not used to provide information about the circumstances of Muslim female migrants in Germany, but rather to make a statement about Muslim migrants in general and underline their lack of integration into the host society. Different visual conventions are recurrently used in each of these categories, creating patterns in the representation of migration. This study explores the visual conventions recurrent in each category and the ways they stereotype Muslim female migrants in Germany. Keywords: German mediavisual stereotypesMuslim migrantswomenheadscarf Acknowledgements Previous versions of this paper were presented at the ICA Montreal Pre-Conference on Mediating Global Citizenship and the ECREA Barcelona Conference in May and November 2008, respectively. I would like to thank my colleagues in these conferences as well as Marion G. Müller, Ferruh Yılmaz, Özen Odağ, Louise Spence, Mark Wyers and anonymous reviewers whose thought-provoking comments and critiques greatly contributed to the revisions of this article. Notes 1. Although my particular focus is on press photographs in this article, I prefer to use the term "visuals" to draw attention to the importance of visual communication in conveying complex messages to audiences, also emphasizing my own disciplinary background. For a discussion on the differences between the terms picture, image and visuals see Müller (Citation2007). Based on Müller's discussion, when I use the term "image, " I refer not only to concrete material images (as in visuals), but also to mental, immaterial images. 2. For more information see, Veysel Özcan (Citation2007). Also see Bundesministerium des Innern (German Ministry of Interior) (Citation2007). For detailed information on the migration regime in Germany, see also Ayhan Kaya (Citation2009). 3. For information on Der Spiegel and Spiegel Online International see the websites: http: //www. spiegel-qc. de/english/partner_ᵣates/derₛpiegel/index. php and http: //www. spiegel-qc. de/english/partner_ᵣates/spiegelₒnline/index. php (accessed 12 April, 2011). 4. For more information on iconology as a method for visual analysis see Marion G. Müller (Citation2008a), Esra Özcan (Citation2009), Gillian Rose (Citation2007) and van Leeuwen (Citation2001). Recently there have been attempts to apply this originally art historical method to the analysis of visuals in the media (Müller Citation2008a; Özcan Citation2009). 5. The image is available at: http: //www. spiegel. de/international/germany/0, 1518, 494027, 00. html (accessed 12 April, 2011). 6. The image is available at: http: //www. spiegel. de/international/0, 1518, 394301, 00. html (accessed 12 April, 2011). 7. The image is available at: http: //www. spiegel. de/international/0, 1518, 410098, 00. html (accessed 12 April, 2011). 8. It is not possible to list here all the instances of back view images; for other examples, see Spiegel Special (Citation2008a, p. 22; Citation2008b, p. 86). Back view images are not only common in German media but also in non-German publications as well, see: Financial Times (Citation2005, p. 2) and Time (Citation2005, pp. 34–35). 9. See Müller (Citation2008b) for an analysis of the NPD poster. 10. The original article and the image in pdf form can be downloaded from: http: //www. spiegel. de/spiegel/print/d-47074038. html (accessed 12 April, 2011). 11. Other versions of this image make different juxtapositions. A common example is to place a woman wearing a full-face veil and the naked leg of another woman passing nearby into the same frame (Spiegel Special Citation2008b, p. 20; also see The New York Times Citation2007). The image from The New York Times is available at: http: //www. nytimes. com/slideshow/2007/06/17/world/20070622VEILₛlideshow₆. html (accessed 13 April, 2011).