Abstracts Sociology

The Biography of an Institution: The Cultural Formation ofMass Incarceration

by Nicole Barnaby

It may be hard for some to justify how the United States imprisons over two million people when it is hailed `the land of the free,’ but this thesis argues that there are very real social, economic and political drivers behind this growing trend having nothing to do with crime. While mass incarceration has its roots in other older forms of racialized social control, it exists in its current form due to an array of cultural conditions which foster its existence. Utilizing the cultural studies tool known as the circuit of culture, this thesis aims to provide a holistic understanding of the articulation of social factors contributing to the existence of mass incarceration. In order to do this, mass incarceration is assessed with the use of the 5 processes of the circuit of culture (production, regulation, representation, consumption and identity) and a specific look at its relation to the Black community over time is considered. Advisors/Committee Members: Fergus, Devin (Advisor).