He Must Learn What Being A Man Is All About: Masculinities at Angola

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Abstract

While exceptions exist, much of what has been written about masculinities inside prisons focuses on the pressure to live up to a hypermasculine ideal that privileges aggression, the concealment of vulnerability, and the victimization of weaker inmates. Through a content analysis of The Angolite prison newsmagazine, I explore how prisoners at Angola, Louisiana’s infamous State Penitentiary, negotiate the hypermasculine prison code and conceive of manhood. I find that men at Angola compose love letters and poems to romantic partners, openly discuss their emotions, and describe lasting bonds with their peers. Some prisoners write of their efforts to grow, learn, and better themselves while incarcerated – their determination and resolve on this front serving to demonstrate their strength of character and a particularly type of masculinity. I then discuss the broader implications of this project for the study of masculinities, as well as their connection to crime, deviance, and imprisonment.

Author

• Liam Kennedy, University of Toronto