Prison co-governance in a Brazilian prison: the role of prison gangs in counter-hegemony
The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research is delighted to welcome Professor Vitor Stegemann Dieter who, drawing on Gramscian concepts, interprets the Brazilian prison as a hegemonic apparatus and the PCC (a major organised crime network) as a counter-hegemonic force.
Social Sciences Hub
Date: Wednesday 26 March 2025
Time: 16:00 - 17:00
Venue: Online
Category: Public lectures, Academic events
Speaker: Professor Vitor Stegemann Dieter
Grounded in extensive ethnographic research, we will discuss Vitor's new book “Prison and Counter-Hegemony: The PCC and Prison Co-Governance in Brazil” (in press) which dialogues with both classic prison studies and contemporary debates on inmate governance.
Drawing on Gramscian concepts, Vitor interprets the prison as a hegemonic apparatus and the PCC as a counter-hegemonic force, engaging in a contested “governance shared” with state actors. By challenging dominant narratives and proposing an innovative theoretical framework, this work contributes to broader discussions on power, order, and resistance in Latin American prisons and the Global South.
Bio:
Prof. Vitor Stegemann Dieter (PhD at University of Kent, UK) is currently a Monitoring Coordinator under the Prison Department at the National Council of Justice in Brazil, he is also the State Coordinator of the Brazilian Institute of Criminal Sciences (Parana) and a postgraduate professor at the University of San Carlos de Guatemala.
This online workshop is part of the Social Penalities Across Boundaries series which is hosted by the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) and organised by Professor Richard Sparks, University of Edinburgh, and Professor Máximo Sozzo, Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Argentina (UNL).