Pumping iron for strength and power: prisoners’ perceptions of a stable body

IF 8 2区 医学 Q1 HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health Pub Date : 2022-06-24 DOI:10.1080/2159676X.2022.2092199
Johannes Müller, M. Mutz
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

ABSTRACT Prior studies emphasise that prisons are violent places and strong social hierarchies exist between inmates. Against the background that a large number of inmates engage in strength training, this paper explores the significance of self-organised weight training and muscle building by reconstructing the meanings and relevance of these activities particularly with regard to power relations and social hierarchy formation. Using an ethnographic approach, the study is based on 80 field visits over 27 months in a German prison and 19 problem-centred interviews with male prisoners. The material shows that social hierarchies among inmates are largely based on physical strength and often manifest in acts of violence. In addition, inmates frequently face minor provocations, verbally or physically, that establish relations of dominance and submission. Interviewees interpret a stable, muscular body in combination with a self-confident, sometimes deliberately grim appearance as a signal that one is determined to defend oneself and does not serve as an easy victim. Accordingly, inmates see it as a necessity to build up muscle strength, which is why all forms of strength training are extremely popular within the prison. However, since the prison studied here actually forbids weight training with barbells, prisoners have to find informal ways and sometimes trick guards when carrying out muscle building exercises. It is concluded that weight training can best be understood as a functional adaptation to the prison context with its widespread aggression and (fear of) violence.
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铁的力量和力量:囚犯对稳定身体的感知
摘要先前的研究强调,监狱是暴力场所,囚犯之间存在着强烈的社会等级制度。在大量囚犯从事力量训练的背景下,本文通过重建这些活动的意义和相关性,特别是在权力关系和社会等级形成方面,探讨了自我组织的重量训练和肌肉锻炼的意义。该研究采用人种学方法,基于对德国一所监狱27个月内的80次实地访问和对男性囚犯的19次以问题为中心的访谈。材料显示,囚犯之间的社会等级在很大程度上是基于体力的,并且经常表现在暴力行为中。此外,囚犯经常面临轻微的言语或身体挑衅,这些挑衅建立了支配和服从的关系。受访者将稳定、肌肉发达的身体与自信、有时故意冷酷的外表相结合,视为一个信号,表明一个人决心自卫,不会轻易成为受害者。因此,囚犯们认为增强肌肉力量是必要的,这就是为什么所有形式的力量训练在监狱里都非常受欢迎。然而,由于这里研究的监狱实际上禁止用杠铃进行重量训练,囚犯们在进行肌肉锻炼时不得不找到非正式的方式,有时还会欺骗警卫。得出的结论是,重量训练可以最好地理解为对监狱环境的功能性适应,因为监狱环境中存在着广泛的侵略性和(对)暴力的恐惧。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
10.60
自引率
10.20%
发文量
36
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