Dwelling on the margins.

liminality and belonging in the micro-politics of the EPN

Abstract

This article offers an ethnographic analysis of the everyday life of first-year cadets at the Escuela Penitenciaria de la Nación (EPN) in Argentina, with particular attention to the social dynamics that emerge among peers within the boarding regime. Using Frederick Bailey’s (1971) concept of “small politics” it examines informal forms of agency, recognition, and hierarchy that operate beyond the institution’s formal design. The analysis focuses on the liminal figure of the “ghost,” a category constructed by the cadets themselves to describe those who maintain a discreet presence and avoid exposure within the group. The article argues that these figures are neither exceptional nor marginal, but rather ex­press legitimate modes of participation and belonging within the moral community of the EPN. Moving beyond an understanding of penitentiary training solely as a process of sta­te-driven discipline, the article offers a situated reading that foregrounds peer judgment, the construction of reputations, and everyday practices through which individuals adapt, negotiate their place, and define their social value. In this sense, the margin does not lie outside the institutional order but constitutes a key part of its functioning.