Abstract provided by author:
This ethnography of a Namibian prison describes a contraband economy that flourishes despite laws prohibiting prisoners' possession of certain items. This economy establishes a stable environment by creating interdependent relationships among inmates, and between inmates and guards, while allowing offenders to form alternative identities and to resist dehumanization. The contraband economy also reveals discrepancies between the stated objectives of the Prisons Service and the reality of prison, so alternatives to prison management and incarceration are considered. This ethnography includes reflections on the power relations that shape fieldwork, and on the characteristics of cultural description