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37 The Prison

  • Unusah Aziz and Deirdre Conlon
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De Gruyter Handbook of Feminist Political Geography
This chapter is in the book De Gruyter Handbook of Feminist Political Geography

Abstract

This chapter builds on a growing body of literature that employs a feminist political geography framework to explore carceral spaces including prisons, detention centers, and other institutions. We use feminist political geography to examine the spatial consequences of prison – a state-organized and managed space of punishment. We consider the relational, political, and personal interconnectedness between the prison space and the domestic space of the home – a space that is frequently aligned with women and with care as well as seclusion and potential for abuse. Using a case study of the experiences of incarcerated men in Ghana’s prison system, we highlight the cascading impacts of prison for those inside and outside the prison space. We also call attention to the ways gender roles are altered by prison with women taking on more responsibilities in ways that simultaneously complicate normative perspectives on gender and space while increasing the burdens of economic and social reproduction for women.

Abstract

This chapter builds on a growing body of literature that employs a feminist political geography framework to explore carceral spaces including prisons, detention centers, and other institutions. We use feminist political geography to examine the spatial consequences of prison – a state-organized and managed space of punishment. We consider the relational, political, and personal interconnectedness between the prison space and the domestic space of the home – a space that is frequently aligned with women and with care as well as seclusion and potential for abuse. Using a case study of the experiences of incarcerated men in Ghana’s prison system, we highlight the cascading impacts of prison for those inside and outside the prison space. We also call attention to the ways gender roles are altered by prison with women taking on more responsibilities in ways that simultaneously complicate normative perspectives on gender and space while increasing the burdens of economic and social reproduction for women.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Acknowledgements
  3. Contents VII
  4. 1 Introduction 1
  5. Part I: Foundations
  6. 2 The Feminist Geography Of Feminist Political Geography 18
  7. 3 Feminist Geopolitics 33
  8. 4 Intimate Geopolitics 51
  9. 5 Nationalism 65
  10. 6 De/coloniality 77
  11. 7 Decolonizing Feminist Geopolitics 89
  12. 8 Trauma 103
  13. 9 Peace 115
  14. Part II: Critical Interventions
  15. 10 Black Futurity 129
  16. 11 Racial Capitalism 141
  17. 12 Populism 153
  18. 13 Electoral Democracy 165
  19. 14 Crip Geographies 177
  20. 15 Queer Geographies 189
  21. 16 Trans Geographies 201
  22. 17 Cuerpo-Territorio 213
  23. 18 Geographies Of Technology 227
  24. 19 More-Than-Human Geographies 239
  25. 20 Austerity 251
  26. 21 Labor 263
  27. 22 Health 275
  28. 23 Environmental Justice 287
  29. Part III: Spaces
  30. 24 Territory 303
  31. 25 The Nation-State 315
  32. 26 The Border 329
  33. 27 Spaces Of Refuge And Asylum 341
  34. 28 The Body 353
  35. 29 Home 367
  36. 30 The Workplace 379
  37. 31 The City 391
  38. 32 The Rural 403
  39. 33 The Ocean 415
  40. 34 The Ship 427
  41. 35 Public Transport 439
  42. 36 Infrastructure 451
  43. 37 The Prison 461
  44. 38 Food 475
  45. Part IV: Methodologies
  46. 39 Postcolonial Positionality 487
  47. 40 Digital Methods And Community-Engaged Research 499
  48. 41 Fieldwork 511
  49. 42 Ethnography 525
  50. 43 Creative Political Geography 537
  51. 44 Mobile Methods 549
  52. 45 Life Histories 563
  53. 46 Black Feminist Literary Methods 575
  54. 47 Historical Approaches 587
  55. List of Contributors 599
  56. Index
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111289274-038

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Acknowledgements
  3. Contents VII
  4. 1 Introduction 1
  5. Part I: Foundations
  6. 2 The Feminist Geography Of Feminist Political Geography 18
  7. 3 Feminist Geopolitics 33
  8. 4 Intimate Geopolitics 51
  9. 5 Nationalism 65
  10. 6 De/coloniality 77
  11. 7 Decolonizing Feminist Geopolitics 89
  12. 8 Trauma 103
  13. 9 Peace 115
  14. Part II: Critical Interventions
  15. 10 Black Futurity 129
  16. 11 Racial Capitalism 141
  17. 12 Populism 153
  18. 13 Electoral Democracy 165
  19. 14 Crip Geographies 177
  20. 15 Queer Geographies 189
  21. 16 Trans Geographies 201
  22. 17 Cuerpo-Territorio 213
  23. 18 Geographies Of Technology 227
  24. 19 More-Than-Human Geographies 239
  25. 20 Austerity 251
  26. 21 Labor 263
  27. 22 Health 275
  28. 23 Environmental Justice 287
  29. Part III: Spaces
  30. 24 Territory 303
  31. 25 The Nation-State 315
  32. 26 The Border 329
  33. 27 Spaces Of Refuge And Asylum 341
  34. 28 The Body 353
  35. 29 Home 367
  36. 30 The Workplace 379
  37. 31 The City 391
  38. 32 The Rural 403
  39. 33 The Ocean 415
  40. 34 The Ship 427
  41. 35 Public Transport 439
  42. 36 Infrastructure 451
  43. 37 The Prison 461
  44. 38 Food 475
  45. Part IV: Methodologies
  46. 39 Postcolonial Positionality 487
  47. 40 Digital Methods And Community-Engaged Research 499
  48. 41 Fieldwork 511
  49. 42 Ethnography 525
  50. 43 Creative Political Geography 537
  51. 44 Mobile Methods 549
  52. 45 Life Histories 563
  53. 46 Black Feminist Literary Methods 575
  54. 47 Historical Approaches 587
  55. List of Contributors 599
  56. Index
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