Internment By Samira Ahmed Summary

In Samira Ahmed’s Internment, the duality of technology simultaneously removes the privacy of the internees, enforces containment, and facilitates awareness for liberation, demonstrating its ability to hinder and aid lives within the book. To start, Camp Mobius uses technology for superintendence, separating the internees from the ability to act freely. Furthermore, containment remains prevalent throughout the book, as mechanization enforces the solitude of the internees. On the contrary, technology contributes to the path of liberation, as it is used to an advantage in many instances. As the story progresses, the role of technology highlights a balance between surveillance, isolation, and liberation, showcasing its dual impact within Camp

For example, drones and cameras pose as a boundary, since actions and speech cannot be performed freely in their presence. “The cameras, the eyes on us all the time, make us all masters of hiding the truth but force us to find creative ways to communicate with one another, too” (Ahmed, page 208). The internees must devise a method to communicate past the surveillance, in a manner that will not trouble them. The restriction forces the internees to mask their intentions and ideas of rebellion, as it can lead to punishment from the Camp. Additionally, drones surveil the internees to maintain behaviour and prevent acts of resistance. “‘Is there someplace we can meet without anyone knowing?’ ‘David, I don’t know. There are guards and cameras everywhere. There are drones flying above the camp. There’s no place they can’t see us’” (page 149). Like the cameras, drones induce captivity, as they restrict speech and movement. Here, Layla is unable to meet with David, due to the surveillance; they inflict the risk of being caught. Furthermore, searchlights contribute to the hindrance of surveillance, by limiting the internees to a curfew. It’s completely dark. The searchlights from the watchtowers sweep the grounds with swaths of light while guards patrol on foot, guns and Tasers at the ready” (page 101). As can be seen, the searchlights force a curfew upon the internees, as it limits