Overview
No directly competing titles which consider the mafia mystique that dominated the national public and scientific debate on organised crime
Many books on this subject written in Italian but little published for the Englishspeaking market
Popular topic, accessibly written to appeal to a broad audience
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Table of contents (11 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
Challenging the Mafia Mystique provides an analysis of the changes the Sicilian mafia has undergone, from legitimisation to denunciation. Rino Coluccello highlights how, from the very emergence of the organised criminal groups in Sicily, a culture existed that was protective and tolerant of the mafia. He argues that the various conceptualisations of the mafia that dominated the public and scientific debate in the nineteenth and more than half of the twentieth century created a mystique, which legitimised the mafia and contributed to their success. This book will be of great interest to scholars and students of organised crime, Italian politics and Italian literature.
Reviews
“Rino Coluccello’s Challenging the Mafia Mystique weaves together history, sociological research, and popular literature to provide a deft analysis of the evolution and history of the mafia in Italy. … Challenging the Mafia Mystique will certainly appeal to American mafia and organized crime scholars, since there are many parallels that can and have been made between the Italian and American experience with the mafia.” (David A. Marvelli, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books, clcjbooks.rutgers.edu, January, 2017)
Rino Coluccello's book is an admirably comprehensive, clear and illuminating guide to the development of the Sicilian mafia and the power it acquired, from its emergence in the nineteenth century to the days of Falcone and Buscetta. His rigorous research illustrates the changing nature of Cosa Nostra while his multi-level approach deftly blends historical survey, sociological analysis and insightful reflection on fiction and drama related to the topic.' – Joseph Farrell, Professor Emeritus of Italian, University of Strathclyde, UK
'Rino Coluccello takes readers on a fascinating journey into the history and culture of "darkest Italy" to tell us, as no one has before, about the origins of the Mafia and how this sinister criminal organization has been interpreted over time by travelers, novelists, journalists, government investigators, and film makers. Americans no less than Europeans will find this an enthralling story.' - Don H. Doyle, Professor of History, University of South Carolina, USA
'As a prosecutor I have always looked at the mafia from a criminal and investigative point of view. Contrasting its violent actions and its almost eternal race for power have always been the main focus of my action as a magistrate and also my principal worry as a Sicilian devoted to change the history of this region. Salvatore "Rino" Coluccello's book gave me and will give all readers different perspectives – historical, social, sociological and "cultural" – that really do enrich the picture of the phenomenon. This book can be considered an outstanding starting point for anyone who is really interested in deepening the knowledge, background and possible developments of one of the most dangerous criminal organisations in the history of the world.' – Dr. Gery Ferrara, Deputy Prosecutor, Antimafia Directorate at the Procura in Palermo, Italy
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Salvatore Coluccello is Senior Lecturer at the School of International Studies and Social Science, Coventry University, UK.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Challenging the Mafia Mystique
Book Subtitle: Cosa Nostra from Legitimisation to Denunciation
Authors: Rino Coluccello
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137280503
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-28049-7Published: 20 December 2015
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-28050-3Published: 29 April 2016
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 260
Topics: Twentieth-Century Literature, Organized Crime, Crime and Society, Sociology, general, Criminology and Criminal Justice, general