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Italian Mafia
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Lecture notes of 24 pages for the course Terrorism, Organised & Corporate Crime at KU Leuven (Italian Mafia)
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TERRORISM, ORGANISED AND CORPORATE CRIMEAcademic year 2022/23
The Italian Mafia, other mafias and
criminal organisations
Compulsory readings for this class
- Paoli, L. (2020). What Makes Mafias Different? Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, 49(2020), 141-
222. https://doi.org/10.1086/708826
o Study pp. 141-143 and 148 (from section II)-155.
o Get main messages from pp. 155-209, avoiding all details and dates and skipping pp. 167-172 and pp.
198-203 entirely.
Study and discussion questions for this class
- Study questions:
o What are the mafias?
o What are the seven distinguishing characteristics?
o What are the other criminal organizations?
o Why are mafias in decline?
- Discussion questions:
Do you find this restrictive interpretation of mafia and criminal organization convincing?
In your view, is the Italian mafia a paradigmatic form of OC or rather an exception?
Outline
- Introduction: concepts of mafia and criminal organizations, media filter and my sources
- Five iconic mafias and their distinguishing characteristics
- The mafias’ decline: the Italian government’s antimafia action
- Mafias v. other criminal organizations
- Factors promoting consolidation of mafias and other criminal organizations
- Mafia v. organized crime
- Conclusion
Contradictory understandings of “mafia”
- Word of uncertain origin, started to be used in 1860s
- For government officials, embodiment of offences
o “Association of evildoers,” “criminal organization” and, since 1982, “associazione a delinquere di
tipo mafioso”
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, TERRORISM, ORGANISED AND CORPORATE CRIME
Academic year 2022/23
- For media and public, powerful secret society
- For “Sicilianists,” attitude and behavior of single individuals, driven by resistance against foreign powers
o Heavily influenced first studies on mafia
- Judicial investigations since 1980s proved existence of mafia organizations
- Maxi processo: super trial in which
o 700 were indicted
o Based on declarations of former Mafiosi that were cooperating with the authorities
o This undeniably proved the existence of the Italian Mafia: Cosa Nostra
- The Antimafia movement still understands “mafia” broadly
o Including corruption, clientelism, ordinary crime
- The Offense was introduced : “Associazione a delinquere di tipo mafioso”
- “Sicilianist” definition of mafia
o The mafia is neither a sect, nor an association, it has no regulations nor statutes. The mafioso is not a
thief, nor a bandit; . . . the mafioso is simply a courageous and skillful man, who cannot bear a fly
being on his nose; and in this sense, being a mafioso is necessary, indeed, indispensable. The mafia is
the awareness of one’s own being, an exaggerated concept of individual strength … Pitré (1889/1993,
p. 292)
The role of the Media
- Media images shape and distort, but also reflect, reality
- Fears of Italian mafia were not without grounds but have often exaggerated its power
- Fears have driven organized crime policy at EU and UN levels and in many European countries
- My sources and key publications
- Initial bulk of data collected during consultancy for Direzione Investigativa Antimafia and Italian Ministry of
the Interior (1992-94)
o Focus on criminal proceedings and mafia witnesses’ (pentiti’s) statements
- Data updated less systematically since then but enriched comparative perspective (e.g., Fijnaut and Paoli,
2004, Paoli, 2014, Paoli, 2020 and Reuter and Paoli, 2020)
Definition of (criminal) organisation
- The definition is way too loose: ‘more than three perosns that work together for a few months’
- Weber’s (1978: 48) classical definition is starting point:
o “a social relationship which is either closed or limits the admission of outsiders [and whose]
regulations are enforced by specific individuals: a chief and, possibly, an administrative staff, which
normally also has representative powers.”
- Criminal organizations: social entities that are relatively large, long-lasting, have clear barriers to entry, an
internal structure and internal rules and are either criminal per se or directly or indirectly (that is, through
their members) routinely engage in (profit-making and other) criminal activities
o Organized crime criminal organizations but also other criminal organizations (e.g., terrorist ones)
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, TERRORISM, ORGANISED AND CORPORATE CRIME
Academic year 2022/23
Five iconic mafias
1. Sicilian Cosa Nostra
2. Calabrian ’Ndrangheta
3. American Cosa Nostra
4. Japanese Yakuza
5. Chinese Triads
The seven typifying characteristics of the “Iconic Five”
1. Longevity
2. Large size
3. Formalized internal structure
4. Elaborate cultural apparatus creating life-long commitment, new identity and fictive kinship ties
5. Multi-functionality (including involvement in numerous criminal offences)
6. Claim to exercise political dominance and provide governance services at least in criminal settings
7. Popular legitimacy and power-sharing agreements with local state authorities
Longevity
Sicilian Cosa Calabrian American
Japanese Yakuza Chinese Triads
Nostra ‘Ndrangheta Cosa Nostra
§ Continuou § Continuous § Founded § Predecessor § Predecessor
s existence existence in 1920s, groups (bakuto/ organization
since since offspring gamblers and (Tiandihui)
approx. approx. of tekiya/peddlers founded
1850s 1850s Sicilian ) active since around
Cosa 1700s 1760,
Nostra similar
groups even
earlier
- Because of longevity
o Roots in pre-modern context
o Male-only membership
Large size
22
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