Prisoner Games Children Play

Abstract

This paper argues that pre-adolescent peer-group socialization in Georgia still refers to criminal subculture known as the thieves’ world. Through ethnographic observation of children playing games borrowed from the prison context, the paper asks what function these games now have. The paper argues that children no longer see the subcultural capital of the thieves’ world as a viable currency to gain status, or the games as modeling important functions for adult life. Instead, the paper finds that now, perhaps due to government policies, game players approach the subculture ironically as a way of developing belonging and demonstrating broader socio-cultural knowledge.

Notes

1. Shnir is a name for a person who provides a variety of services for the higher social caste of the prison population. The job covers tasks such as cleaning (the cell), ordering (the barrack), and delivering (cigarette, information, food) (Abramkin 2009).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation (SRNSF). Grant number PhD_F_17_15, Project Title: Informality in Transition: the Case of Post-Soviet Georgia.