Authors

Marie Koval¹;  ¹ Charles University, Prague, Czechia

Discussion

Women's experiences with the political imprisonment and particularly prison culture have been underrepresented in the context of Czechoslovak historiography. However, despite the brutal environment and very limited conditions, women political prisoners resisted injustice. They were able to adapt to prison life and create a 'microenvironment' of relative freedom and sense of safety by building a community based on solidarity and sharing a common goal: survival. 

Women's prison culture served as a way of resistance and visibility and included a variety of forms, such as music, drama, poetry, lectures, fine art, or creating objects. As a part of my current PhD studies in Historical Anthropology at Charles University in Prague, I focus on analyzing these objects within the context of material culture and memory studies. The methodology of this study is based on qualitative analysis of personal narratives, including memoirs, prison correspondence and oral history interviews which I conducted as a part of my previous research at the University of Huddersfield.

In this paper, I will discuss the possible meanings of prison objects and stories they carry together with the gendered context of political imprisonment. Giving a voice to such marginalized groups in history can provide a better understanding of the lives of people under the repressive regime, the role of culture, identity, relationships and community or self-expression under such circumstances.