ABSTRACT
Media responses In his 2005 book Laurent Mucchielli provides a detailed critical analysis of both media discourse and empirical data available on the phenomenon of ‘ les tournantes ’. Building on this useful analysis, in this section I examine media reporting with a focus on the specifi c frames used to describe and explain the rapes. In particular I argue that the discourses can be divided between:
• those that drew on issues of ethnicity/religion/culture; • those that suggested ‘ les tournantes ’ were some sort of initiation rite or ritual; • those that focused on the poverty/social marginalisation of the banlieue ; • those that identifi ed ‘ les tournantes ’ as a result of ‘affective defi cit’ and ‘ la
misère sexuelle ’ (sexual deprivation) of the banlieue ; and • those that saw it as simply another manifestation of ‘ les violences urbaines ’.
