The course addresses two main topics: mafia-type organised crime and corruption. More specifically, the topics concern the interpretations, origins and transformations of mafias; the relationships between mafias, politics and the economic sphere; the processes of territorial expansion of mafias; the mechanisms and actors of corruption. Finally, the response of the state and civil society to the mafia phenomenon and corruption will be addressed.
The suggested readings are identical for attending and non-attending students.
Rocco Sciarrone (a cura di), Alleanze nell'ombra. Mafie ed economie locali in Sicilia e nel Mezzogiorno, (Donzelli, 2011) (solo il capitolo I (Mafie, relazioni e affari nell’area grigia) più 4 capitoli a scelta tra i capitoli: V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, XI, XII).
Rocco Sciarrone (a cura di), Mafie del Nord. Strategie criminali e contesti locali, (Donzelli, 2019) (solo i capitoli I e II, più 3 capitoli a scelta tra i capitoli: III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII e IX)
Donatella della Porta e Alberto Vannucci, La corruzione come sistema. Meccanismi, dinamiche, attori, Bologna, il Mulino, 2012. Available online (on campus or using the proxy) https://darwinbooks.it/doi/10.978.8815/367617
Vittorio Mete, La costruzione istituzionale delle politiche antimafia. Il caso dello scioglimento dei consigli comunali. In, Stato e Mercato, n. 3/2016, pp. 391–424. Available online (on campus or using the proxy) https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1425/85088.
Vittorio Mete, La lotta alle mafie tra movimenti e istituzioni. In L’Italia e le sue regioni: l’età repubblicana. Società, a cura di Mariuccia Salvati e Loredana Sciolla, vol. 4; pp. 305–22 (Istituto della Enciclopedia italiana, 2015). Available online: https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/la-lotta-alle-mafie-tra-movimenti-e-istituzioni_%28L%27Italia-e-le-sue-Regioni%29/
Learning Objectives
Learn the basic concepts for the study of mafia-type organised crime and corruption. Recognise the links and interactions between the spheres of organised crime, politics and economics. Identify the mechanisms of reproduction in time and space of criminal groups. Know the main strategies and tools to fight organised crime and corruption, both institutional (public policies) and civil society (movements). Refine sociological and methodological skills in understanding criminal phenomena. Establish connections between the various topics covered in order to understand the social and political reality. Develop critical capacities and autonomy of judgement on the phenomenon of organised crime.
Prerequisites
For non-native speakers, a sufficient knowledge of Italian is required.
Class attendance is strongly recommended
Teaching Methods
Lectures open to discussion and contribution by students. Exercises in pairs or small groups. Presentation of case studies (among those contained in Alleanze nell’ombra e Mafie del Nord) by students
Further information
Nothing
Type of Assessment
The final examination consists of an oral examination intended to assess effective understanding of the topics addressed by the course, not the ability to recite them from memory. Evaluated positively will therefore be the ability to argue, to link different topics, to actualize themes critically
Course program
The first part of the course will be focused on the conceptual and definitional aspects of organised crime. It will explore the main approaches to studying the criminal phenomenon and critically discuss remote and recent stereotypes that have arisen around it.
In the second part of the course, more specific topics will be explored, such as the relationship between mafia-type organised crime and entrepreneurship and the links between mafiosi and politicians. It will focus in particular on the concept of the 'grey area'.This will be complemented by a section on the mechanisms of territorial expansion of mafias in the regions of central and northern Italy.
The third part will present the institutional instruments for combating mafias and the evolution and characteristics of the anti-mafia movement.
The fourth part of the course will be dedicated to the issue of corruption. The actors, resources and mechanisms of corruption, in particular political corruption, will be presented.
The fifth and last part will be devoted to the presentation of some particularly significant case studies. Some of these will refer to the relations between mafias and formally legal economic activities, others will concern the concrete processes of territorial expansion of mafias. Some of these presentations will be carried out, on a voluntary basis, by the students who attended most of the lessons