ABSTRACT
A discussion of 'identity politics' has recently emerged in many academic circles as a new way of conceptualizing power relations (Benhabib 1992; I. M. Young 1990; Calhoun 1994; Gutman 1994; Taylor 1989,1994; Braidotti 1994; Griffiths 1995; Weir 1996). In this literature, issues of 'identity' and 'subjectivity' are promoted as a critique of power relations through an appreciation of previously marginalized groups and experiences. This chapter will explore how such literature can be utilized to enhance an understanding of how power is negotiated in women's prisons by drawing attention to the ways in which women evaluate imprisonment in terms of their lived experiences of race, class and gender. As Chapter 2 demonstrated, women's actions and needs are usually already interpreted according to a restrictive notion of femininity. Without a more detailed awareness of the various
constitutive elements of their identity, it is difficult to establish how prisoners evaluate their experiences of imprisonment and why they comply with or resist the regime. It is not possible to comprehend the choices they have nor understand the reasons they give for the choices they make. Without knowing 'who' the prisoners are - in a deep, sociological sense - it is difficult to differentiate between inmate groups and to identify the effects of power.
