Investigative Documentary as Critique? Understanding the Role of Narrative in the CBC Fifth Estate Documentaries on the Ashley Smith Case

Abstract

This thesis uses approaches adapted from narrative analysis to provide a detailed examination of the two CBC Fifth Estate documentaries on the case of Ashley Smith (Behind the Wall, 2010; Out of Control, 2010). In particular, it considers how different voices and pieces of evidence are brought together to construct coherent documentary narratives and contextualizes these narratives within broader feminist criminological discourse. This project develops the concepts of ‘internal’ and ‘external’ coherence and considers how attempts to maintain coherence influence the way the Smith case is presented in the documentaries. Drawing on Foucault’s (1976) discussion of subjugated knowledge, this project explores how the process of creating a coherent narrative necessitates the subjugation of controversial knowledge. By juxtaposing the arguments in the documentaries against those of feminist criminology, the findings reveal how attempts to formulate a critique of Canadian prisons that appeals to a national audience subjugates feminist critique.