Babette Hall
Research Mentor: Christopher Fariss
Mentor Department: Political Science, LSA
Author(s): Not Available
Session: Session 7 (4:00 PM – 4:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 56
Abstract
Dissent, Repression, Confinement Throughout history, humans have used confinement as a social technology to control and marginalize populations, manifesting in the formation of concentration camps, internment camps, and detention centers. This project aims to systematically collect data on cases of confinement from 1865 to the present day, to build a comprehensive dataset. Using this dataset, we can identify patterns throughout time. The project conducts its research by collecting historical, archival, and scholarly information to document the development, operation, and eventual closure of each camp. Sources include academic literature, government records, and primary source documents and images. The resulting dataset is designed to support future hypothesis-driven research into the causes, functions, and consequences of confinement systems. In particular, it enables the examination of how political regimes, legal frameworks, and moments of crisis influence detention practices. Additionally, investigating how patterns of racism, exclusion, and prejudice persist across various historical contexts. By creating a structured and expandable dataset, this project provides a foundation for future quantitative and qualitative research on mass detention practices. The dataset enables comparative analysis across regimes and time periods, facilitating research on trends in confinement, legal justifications, and the relationship between political power and detention. Ultimately, this project provides a research tool for historians, political scientists, and human rights scholars seeking to better understand the historical persistence and contemporary relevance of large-scale detention systems.
