![]() In fact, as Diego Gambetta's analysis unfolds, the Mafia begins to resemble any other business. Where these pursuits will take the family adds a fascinating coda to Lupo's work.ĭescription: Blood ceremonies, obscure symbols, elaborate codes, brutal executions: the arcane remnants of a defunct culture? The Mafia, this book suggests, is not nearly as bizarre as all that, not nearly as remote as we might think. Rather than representing a shift from "honorable" crime to immoral drug trafficking and violence, Lupo argues the terroristic activities of the modern Mafia signify a new desire for visibility and a distinct break from the state. He also challenges the belief that the Mafia has grown more ruthless in recent decades. Lupo identifies the internal cultural codes that define the Mafia and places these codes within the context of social groups and communities. He focuses on several crucial periods of transition: the Italian unification of 1860 to 1861, the murder of noted politician Notarbartolo, fascist repression of the Mafia, the Allied invasion of 1943, social conflicts after each world war, and the major murders and trials of the 1980s. Consulting rare archival sources, he traces the web of associations, both illicit and legitimate, that have defined Cosa Nostra during its various incarnations. Combining a nuanced history with a unique counternarrative concerning stereotypes of the immigrant, Salvatore Lupo, a leading historian of modern Italy and a major authority on its criminal history, has written the definitive account of the Sicilian Mafia from 1860 to the present. The Mafia means more than a horse head under the sheets it functions as an alternative to the state, providing its own social and political justice. It is no accident that the rise of the Mafia coincided with the unification of Italy and the influx of immigrants into America. The true story of the Mafia reveals both an organization and mindset dedicated to the preservation of tradition. Yet these sensational depictions take us only so far. This is an important work of history and a revelation for anyone who ever wondered what it means to be "made" in the mob.ĭescription: When we think of the Italian Mafia, we think of Marlon Brando, Tony Soprano, and the Corleones iconic actors and characters who give shady dealings a mythical pop presence. How did the Sicilian mafia begin? How did it achieve its powerful grip in Italy and America? How does it operate today? From the mafia's origins in the 1860s to its current tense relationship with the Berlusconi government, Cosa Nostra takes us to the inner sanctum where few have dared to go before. John Dickie uses startling new research to expose the secrets of the Sicilian mafia, providing a fascinating account that is more violent, frightening, and darkly comic than anything conceived in popular movies and novels. ![]() While the mythology of the mafia has been widely celebrated in American culture, the true origins of its rituals, laws, and methods have never actually been revealed. Description: The Italian-American mafia has its roots in a mysterious and powerful criminal network in Sicily.
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