ABSTRACT
In 1972–73 I carried out research at the Neve Tirza women’s prison in Israel under the supervision of Prof. Emanuel Marx, as part of my studies towards a Ph.D. degree in social anthropology. My formal fieldwork was completed in mid-1973, and in 1976 I finished writing the thesis. Upon publication of the thesis in book form I became a persona non grata and was prohibited from visiting the prison, which I had continued to do from time to time. I considered this period as closed, both on the personal level and intellectually. I turned my attention to new areas of study and did not imagine that both the anthropological issues and the people I had encountered in the prison would continue to occupy me and trouble my peace of mind to this day.
