Masculinidades tras las rejas: dinámicas de negociación, resignificación y adaptación en contextos penitenciarios

This paper examines the complexity, fluidity, and processes of (re)constructing masculinities within the prison environment. An ethnographic approach was employed, utilizing participant observation in workshops on masculinities held in eight Catalan prisons. Additionally, the interpretation of discourse from twenty-eight semi-structured interviews with inmates and professionals was incorporated. The study concludes that, despite the presence of codes and practices that reinforce the hegemonic and hierarchical model of masculinity against subaltern masculinities, there are ruptures and tensions between this dominant notion and alternative identities. Consequently, masculinities within the prison environment are demonstrably diverse and subject to constant negotiation and (re)signification.