Landscapes of Punishment and Resistance: A Female Convict Settlement in Tasmania, Australia

A female convict settlement in Tasmania, Australia, exemplified the spatial dynamics of penal domination and inmate resistance. The study reveals that inmates strategically circumvented institutional boundaries to maintain connections with relatives outside the prison perimeter, while authorities selectively granted privileges based on hierarchical relationships. The research focuses on the Ross Female Factory, where locales were spatially and temporally organized to reinforce power structures among both staff and inmates. By analyzing a intercepted letter and institutional reactions, it demonstrates how convicts intentionally challenged disciplinary boundaries, offering insights into the complex interplay of punishment and resistance in 19th-century penal landscapes.

Casella, E. C. (2020). Landscapes of Punishment and Resistance: A Female Convict Settlement in Tasmania, Australia. Contested Landscapes, 103–120. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003085089-8