Demarcating the boundaries of non-belonging: Gender, integration, and the Burkini in German newspaper comments

Research indicates that the news media plays an important role in discursively constructing social identities through representations of ‘otherness.’ Guided by the politics of belonging, gender nationalism, and the argument that non-belonging is ascribed to Muslim women’s bodies through representations in the news media, this article examines discourse about the burkini – a type of swimsuit worn by some Muslim women – in the German press. Employing a multilevel critical discourse-analytical approach to the study of follow-ups made in online newspaper comment sections, it combines an initial content analysis focused on thematic patterns in discourse topics with an analysis of argumentation schemes. It focuses on how commenters utilise referential strategies to discursively frame the burkini in exclusionary terms. The findings indicate that while the burkini is highly contested particularly regarding sociocultural difference, integration, and gender equality, overall, it functions as a marker of non-belonging in German discourse.