“The real heroes were men”. Prison protests, seductive capital, and gender differences in the Northern Irish Republican Movement

During the Northern Ireland conflict (1969-1998), the Republican women and men incarcerated for their involvement in the armed struggle engaged in a series of increasingly extreme protests to affirm the political nature of their actions. Some of these protests, particularly the so-called “dirty protest”, had a shocking impact because they utilized the prisoners’ bodily excreta as symbolic tools of political struggle. By making visible the bodily substances that society regards as taboo, these protests created a symbolic rupture that was difficult to heal. However, the male prison experience ultimately morphed into a badge of honor. Involvement in the prison struggles granted some ex-prisoners, heroic status in their communities and among international sympathizers. This, in turn, led to some unexpected advantages, including an increased power of attraction over like-minded women. The author refers to this increased attractiveness as “seductive capital”. The acquisition of heroic status and subsequent seductive capital did not, however, befall women prisoners. This gender difference is explained through an analysis of the different symbolic meanings attributed to the bodies and bodily excreta of women and men; the gender roles dear to Irish nationalism; and notions of gender spread in Ireland and beyond.

Keywords: Northern Ireland; Northern Irish Republican prison protests; Seductive capital; Heroism; Gender differences

Elena Bergia, “I veri eroi erano uomini”. Proteste carcerarie, capitale seduttivo e differenze di genere nel movimento repubblicano nordirlandese in "PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE" 3/2025, pp 495-508, DOI: 10.3280/PU2025-003007