Paper short abstract:

Prison is a setting where place and time coalesce and are defined as realities disconnected from outside worlds. Instead, the life of imprisoned populations unfolds in a continuum between places.

Paper long abstract:

Prison is a setting where place and time seem to coalesce as twin dimensions and where they both tend to be defined as separate realities, disconnected from the outside world. In this light, such a life setting appears as a world apart, with clear spatial and temporal boundaries. This notion has also shaped the way prison has been studied and theorized, bracketing it both as a research site and a cultural or social scene.Using ethnographic data concerning contemporary transformations in a Portuguese women's prison, I question a framework which neglects to interrogate the nature of prison boundaries. Whether considering biographical trajectories or social scenes, the life of imprisoned populations unfolds in a continuum between places -- even when confined behind bars.