Ackhurst, Molly ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8607-5238 (2021) Carceral feminism in England and Wales: interrogating our investments. In: SLSA 2021 (Socio-Legal Studies Association), 30th Mar – Thu 1st April 2021, Cardiff University (Prifysgol Caerdydd). (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Carceral feminism is a term often utilised by members of the critical feminist academy to describe those with a 'shared commitment to carceral paradigms of social, and in particular gender, justice’ (Bernstein, 2010, p.49). Nonetheless in spite of its increasing mainstream usage (Froio, 2018; Law, 2018), much of the concept building work has been situated within the United States (Bernstein, 2010; Bumiller, 2009). While these contributions are important, they must also be contextualised within academic work that is largely focused on analysing feminism within a country characterised by high-religiosity, widespread neo-conservative attitudes to the State, and an arguably unique combination of militarised humanitarianism coalesced with a deeply embedded non-profit industrial complex (INCITE!, 2007). The important and varying reasons and ways that carcerality manifests in country-specific contexts outside of the United States consequently remain under-researched and under-explored.

This paper seeks to interrogate popular conceptualisations of carceral feminism through an examination of the terms spatial-specificity, alongside analysis of the emotional and financial investments in carceral politics that exist within both academic writing in the UK and the sexual violence “sector” in England and Wales. In drawing on feminist phenomenology along with an exploration of the varying and complicated institutional, and under-considered individual, elements of investments in carceral logics I seek to trouble and expand popular understandings of who and what a carceral feminist is. I also hope to offer initial suggestions as to why it so often feels as though radical critiques circle back to status quo solutions; especially when they concern themselves with justice for survivors of sexual violence.

Item Type:	Conference or Conference Paper (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sexual violence, carceral feminism, feminist politics
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) J Political Science > JA Political science (General) K Law > K Law (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > School of Law & Criminology (LAC)
Last Modified:	05 Mar 2025 09:08
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/49944

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