The carceral in Tunisian popular culture

Abstract

This article makes use of James Scott's theory of ‘hidden transcripts’ to study cultural works and relevant writings that document the history of the carceral in Tunisia. It contends that prisoners found in songs and writings hidden transcripts to resist authoritarianism, to denounce the miscarriage of justice and to communicate with the outside world. Prisoner cultural works and writings show that the prisoner agency changed the carceral site into a secure social space to resist oppression and authoritarianism. Using Gaston Bachelard's conception of the house, we found that the prison cell had the value of a ‘house’ for memories, thoughts, imaginations and dreams. This paper concludes that prisoner songs and writings served as a counternarrative that helped in developing a different version of Tunisian modern history.