Beaches and Muslim belonging in France: liberty, equality, but not the burkini!

Abstract

Drawing on Marco Antonsich’s framework for analyzing belonging while also engaging critical legal geographies, this article applies a legal lens to Muslim belonging. It does so through discourse analysis of court, legislative, and political pronouncements regarding burkini bans that surfaced in France shortly after a terror attack by a self-identified Muslim, and with ‘burkini’ serving as a proxy for Islam in their rhetoric. The article focuses on the language used by France’s highest administrative court in overturning one city’s ban, as well as language used by French political leaders in supporting the bans, to examine the message of belonging conveyed to Muslims in France. Legal language is the focus because of its ability to frame conversations regarding societal norms, with the language explored here framing the broader debate on Muslim belonging in French public space and arguably what the French population believes is necessary to belong in French society. This exploration provides a foundation for further research by scholars exploring issues of identity, migration, belonging, race, and religion, using methodologies such as feminism and critical race theory that can readily connect with the critical legal approach applied here.