Ecology of Sites of Confinement: Everyday Life in a Detention Center for Illegalized Non‐citizens. Issue 1 (13th February 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Esposito, Francesca; Ornelas, José; Briozzo, Erica; Arcidiacono, Caterina
• Is Part Of: American journal of community psychology. Volume 63:Issue 1/2(2019)
• Page Start: 190
• Page End: 207
• Publication Date: 2019-02-13
• Subjects: Migration‐related detention -- Everyday life -- Lived experiences -- Ecological principles -- Justice -- Critical ethnography; Community psychology -- Periodicals; Community mental health services -- Periodicals; Community psychiatry -- Periodicals; Community Mental Health Services -- Periodicals; Community Psychiatry -- Periodicals; 155.905
• DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12313
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0091-0562

Abstract

Highlights: In spite of concerns about migration‐related detention, research inside these sites of confinement is scarce. We present an ethnographic exploration into the detention of illegalized non‐citizens in Italy. Transcending individual‐centered analysis, we adopt an ecological framework with a focus on justice. We contribute to create knowledge on the psychosocial and cultural world behind the walls of detention. We discuss the oppressive qualities of detention and avenues for research and action for community psychologists. Abstract: Drawing on almost 3 years of fieldwork, comprising qualitative interviews and ethnographic observations, this study provides an exploration into the detention of illegalized non‐citizens in Italy. Taking the largest detention center as a case study, the fabric of everyday life and the lived experiences of people, both detainees and professional actors, are the focus of examination. An ecological community psychology framework, with a focus on justice, guided the data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Findings highlight the oppressive qualities of detention, and its ripple effects on people's life spaces. Scarcity of resources, activities, and information created a very distressing environment for detainees, also enhancing feelings of powerlessness and frustration in professionals willing to assist them. Uncertainty and instability, rather than coercion or discipline, emerged as modes of governing and dominating. Bound in a different space and time, detainees were turned into unwanted and expendable others, their confinement becoming a means to extract profit from them. Yet, people languishing in these sites displayed an extraordinary ability to cope with, resist, and challenge the persisting conditions of injustice they endured. We conclude by highlighting the potential of the proposed framework, and discussing broader implications of our findings and avenues for research and action.