PI: Shirley Le Penne, Ph.D. Candidate, Cornell University
Grant Amount: $2,500, Second Century Fund
Project Abstract: Delving into the trauma generated by the Algerian War of Independence led by the FLN, Shirley Le Penne analyzes in her research its impact on Algerian experiences of incarceration in French prisons today. While scholarship on the punishment and incarceration of Algerians, both as colonial and national subjects, has moved forward, knowledge on the perpetuation of these practices in today’s France is still lacking. Yet, Algerians, by nationality or origin, are now incarcerated at unprecedented rates – by the very state that has oppressed their ancestors. How do Algerians make sense of their journey from colonization to immigration to incarceration to release in and by France? To what extent does the political legacy of their grandparents inform their experience of imprisonment? By tracing the carceral experience of FLN offspring in French prisons, this project aims to broaden our understanding of the interplay between (post)colonialism, intergenerational trauma, and incarceration.