Youth detention in France, 1840-1945: a historical building archaeology of the penal colonies for children

Despite the parallel growth of archaeologies of prisons and of childhood, and contemporary discussions about the welfare of marginalised youth, archaeological studies of incarcerated youth have been missing.

Making use of spatial computational methods and digital modelling, this project proposes to study the built environment of five 19th-century French penal colonies for children.

I tiwll aim to better understand the use of space within these establishments, how they may have related to their surrounding landscape and the broader sociopolitical context, and ultimately will provide a window into the experience of incarcerated children and the genealogy of contemporary youth incarceration practices.