READING DIFFERENCE DIFFERENTLY?: Identity, Epistemology and Prison Ethnography

Prison ethnographers have tended to downplay the epistemological and methodological dilemmas relating to identity and positionality, which have been more commonly rehearsed in anthropological and sociological ethnographies. This paper explores these issues through a reflexive interrogation of a stud...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of criminology 2010-03, Vol.50 (2), p.360-378
Main Authors: Phillips, Coretta, Earle, Rod
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Class
Criminology
Cultural anthropology
Epistemology
ETHNIC GROUPS
Ethnic Identity
Ethnicity
Ethnography
Feminism
Gender identity
Identity
PRISONERS
Prisons
Psychosocial Factors
Racism
Social classes
Social epistemology
Social identity
Social psychology
Social relations
SOCIOLOGY
Subjectivity
White people
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Summary:Prison ethnographers have tended to downplay the epistemological and methodological dilemmas relating to identity and positionality, which have been more commonly rehearsed in anthropological and sociological ethnographies. This paper explores these issues through a reflexive interrogation of a study of prisoner identities and social relations in two male prisons, with a particular focus on race/ethnicity, class and gender. Drawing from interactions with two prisoners as case studies, it applies Walkerdine et al.'s (2001) psycho-social analytical frame to illustrate how the subjectivities and biographies of researchers are implicated in the dynamics of prison research encounters and analysis. In doing so, it considers the epistemological implications of reflexive practice for interpreting the prison field.
ISSN:0007-0955
1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azp081