Fascism and the Mafia [Hardcover]

Mr. Christopher Duggan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 1989

The Sicilian mafia is a subject of endless fascination, but few serious books have been written about it. In this provocative work, Christopher Duggan argues that the idea of the mafia is a fiction, born of political calculation and genuine misunderstanding of the behaviour of Sicilians. The first part of the book looks at the development of the idea of the mafia from the 1860s, when the term first appeared, to the Second World War. Although all serious observers realised that there was no organised criminal society in Sicily, Duggan explains why the idea was perpetuated. When the island became part of unified Italy in 1860, hostility to the new state was claimed by officials to be criminally inspired, and they spoke for the first time of 'the Mafia'. The distinctive values of the Sicilians, such as their belief in private justice and unwillingness to cooperate with the police, reinforced the idea of a secret criminal society. From then on, many of Sicily's political and social problems were attributed to this mythical organisation. In the second part of the book, to illustrate the general observations made in the first, Duggan provides a detailed study of the repressive campaign conducted by the fascist government against the mafia in the 1920s. Making use of private papers, police files, and trial proceedings, he concludes that the mafia was primarily an idea exploited for political ends, and that its use only strengthened many Sicilians' deep mistrust of the state. This lively book is a penetrating account of the origins of the mafia myth and the first study of the impact of fascism on Sicily. It will be of great interest to historians of modern Italy, to anthropologists, and to criminologists, as well as to those who are actively engaged in the fight against organised crime. Christopher Duggan was a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and Lecturer in Italian History and Director of the Centre for the Advanced Study of Italian Society at Reading University. He is co-author, with Denis Mack Smith and Moses Finley, of 'A History of Sicily' (1986).

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"The idea of the Mafia is a minefield of fact and fantasy," says the author. Originally begun as the author's doctoral dissertation, this book is an encyclopedic exposition of the history of the idea of the Mafia and how and why belief in a large-scale criminal organization persists. The author traces the idea of the Mafia to Sicily, beginning with the etymology of the word and how it came to be used to describe political and social unrest in the island in the 1860s. A detailed discussion of the Fascist campaign against the Mafia in the late 1920s is also documented, with the study concluding in 1945 near the end of World War II. This is a scholarly, provocative work of value to the researcher and informed student.
- Jerry Maioli, Western Lib. Network, Olympia, Wash.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 356 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; Remainder edition (September 10, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300043724
• ISBN-13: 978-0300043723
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,277,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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