"Can’t I have a dream" : race, repression, and resistance in women’s prisons, 1877-1980

Abstract

This thesis traces the experiences of incarcerated women from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, focusing on the ways that the prison operated as a microcosm of larger society in the molding of social norms regarding gender, race, and sexuality. It seeks to document a lesser studied aspect of carceral history while focusing on the role the penal system plays in enforcing societal norms. Women convict laborers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were subjected to public opinion that was harshly divided along racial lines, representing Jim Crow ideals of womanhood, especially white womanhood. Into the twentieth century, incarcerated women faced more public scrutiny, particularly as a result of Cold War anxieties surrounding gender and sexuality. In the mid-twentieth century, incarcerated women publicized their experiences through zines and garnered significant public attention as they explored the meanings of gender, race, and incarceration in America. This research explores the ways in which the prison system makes, refashions, and enforces societal norms regarding race, gender, and sexuality. This thesis holds contemporary significance in the conversation regarding the mass incarceration of women, specifically women of color, and the failure of the prison system and society as a whole in accounting for the impact of gender and race on experiences of incarcerated women.