Living Behind Symbolic and Concrete Barriers of Total Institutions: Reflections on the Transition Between a Domestic Symbolic Patriarchal Imprisonment and a Co-Governed, State-Sponsored Incarceration in Perú

Abstract

This article seeks to analyse the paradox of freedom and imprisonment, reflecting on the connections between and nuances of intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA) and women’s imprisonment in the Global South, particularly in Perú. The story follows Maria, a woman serving a 14-year sentence for the homicide of her husband, an act she committed after experiencing 20 years of psychological and physical abuse. I have chosen to focus on her ambivalence towards her experience of IPVA, using Goffman’s (1961) concept of the ‘total institution’; I suggest that Maria was living under a patriarchal and symbolic total institution, a prison-like home (Avni 1991). Following this, while imprisoned for the homicide of her husband, Maria was physically incapacitated in a co-governed, patriarchal, nation-state prison. Nevertheless, simultaneously, in this custodial setting, she found a semi-autonomous path to reinforce her sense of agency and to construct interpersonal relationships that have enabled her to question the preceding patriarchal norms.

Introduction

“…Hence, this research follows the valuable work of feminist Latin American scholars who are reimagining the study of women's prison dynamics and selfhoods, defying the notion of victimhood to fortify the concept of agency. To abandon the victimhood discourse does not mean to deny the oppression system, but to try to move beyond the binary and antagonistic perspective of the victim-resistance discourses (Arduino, 2019;Bracco, 2021) and to portray the ambivalence between vulnerability and agency (Giacomello, 2017).…”

“…I offer a broad framework about care and argue that women prisoners engage in processes and practices of social reproduction, and prison may also be regarded as a site of ambivalent care relationships, which is another dimension of governance and the functioning of prison. Saying all this, I regard women's imprisonment experiences as a paradox (Bracco, 2021;Malacalza, 2015;Ojeda, 2013Ojeda, , 2017. In other words, the paradox resides in the fact that institutionalised punishment which creates domination coexists with the power of creation.…”

¿motines O Acciones Colectivas De Reclamo? Discursos Mediáticos Durante El Covid-19 Sobre El Sistema Penitenciario Peruano Y Las Personas Recluidas

“…Se resalta que las cárceles en Latinoamérica son espacios de negociación, que funcionan a partir de la organización colectiva y participación de la población recluida, instaurando formas de auto o cogobierno. Esta perspectiva redefine las luchas de poder entre personal penitenciario y personas recluidas desde la concepción de la prisión como una institución permeable, donde el poder es multidireccional y las relaciones interpersonales son más fluidas y flexibles (Bracco, 2021;Cunha, 2014;Darke & Garcés, 2017;Veeken, 2000).…”

“…Como hemos indicado, en las últimas dos décadas, se han evidenciado las formas en que sistemas penitenciarios latinoamericanos se sostienen en la negociación formal e informal con dinámicas y organizaciones de internos, ya sea desde la construcción de alianzas o desde la no confrontación a acciones ilegales mientras ayuden a mantener orden (Bracco, 2021;Darkes & Garcés, 2017;Veeken, 2000). Por tanto, la otra cara de la moneda queda en la sombra de los discursos mediáticos.…”

Santa Monica’s Micro-Intersubjective Dimension: Interpersonal Relationships and Gendered Subjectivities

“…Like Medalith, Maria, as Church Coordinator, discussed religion with the Church members, but also themselves as women, to reflect on their feminine experiences, to empower themselves, to be more independent from their male partners and support each other as women. 14 14 The story of Maria is detailed in the article: Bracco, L. (2021). Living behind Symbolic and concrete barriers of total institutions: Reflections on the transition between a domestic symbolic patriarchal imprisonment and a co-governed, state-sponsored incarceration in Peru.…”