Mafia: a regional, national or global issue?

The image of the Mafia that first arises is generally the one portrayed by Hollywood films, like The Godfather, Good Fellas, or more recently The Sopranos, where Italian American gangsters form family based secret criminal organizations engaged in illegal activities such as drug-dealing, prostitution and protection. However, the wise guys that become rich, feared and respected in the neighborhood by operating in an open war against the legal institutions are a romantic and misleading version of a phenomenon more widespread, more ingrained and more destructive.

Unfortunately, the gangster is just the tip of the iceberg, the visible level of an underworld structure that has different masks, that is covered by shadows and silence and so, most of the time, unrecognizable.

Course Description:

An Interdisciplinary Perspective examines the multi-faceted system of organized crime in Southern Italy, in particular Sicily, through an interdisciplinary approach beginning with the historical background and then focusing on the economic, sociological, and political global impact. Unlike the "glorified " version of The Godfather, Good Fellas and the Sopranos, this course aims to examine its legendary origins paired with its historical past and current reality. Although the course focuses on the Sicilian Mafia, students will also examine the Calabrian Ndrangheta and the Neapolitan Camorra. Students will study diverse historical documents/interviews, and attend on-site lectures.