Homogeneous or hegemonic? A cultural reading of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue burkini

Magazines represent a site for cultural contestation, reconciliation, and alienation in visual culture. Adopting social semiotics and cultural discourse perspectives, this study examines the visual representation of two images of the first model to appear in modest swimwear in the 2019 Sports Illust...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Language and intercultural communication 2021-03, Vol.21 (2), p.190-206
Main Authors: El Shazly, Reham, El Falaki, Mai
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alienation
anti-Western-centrism
burkini
Cultural differences
Cultural discourse studies
Cultural identity
Empowerment
Ethnocentrism
Hegemony
Homogeneity
Imagery
Intercultural communication
Marginality
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Semiotics
Sports
Sports Illustrated
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Summary:Magazines represent a site for cultural contestation, reconciliation, and alienation in visual culture. Adopting social semiotics and cultural discourse perspectives, this study examines the visual representation of two images of the first model to appear in modest swimwear in the 2019 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue featuring burkini-clad, Halima Aden as a holistic cultural discourse. The findings reveal that the production of these images deploy semiotic affordances to construct cultural harmony, diversity, and co-existence while deconstructing ethnocentrism. This study contributes to the formation and empowerment of cultural voices and identities of marginalized, developing communities to foster cultural homogeneity rather than division.
ISSN:1470-8477
1747-759X
DOI:10.1080/14708477.2021.1874005