Overview
The Sicilian Mafia, or Cosa Nostra, is one of the most intriguing criminal phenomena in the world. It is an unparalleled organised criminal grouping that over almost two centuries has been able not only to successfully permeate licit and illicit economy, politics and civil society, but also to influence and exercise authoritative power over both the underworld and the upper-world. This criminal phenomenon has been a captivating conundrum for scholars of different disciplines who have tried to explain with various paradigms the reasons behind the emergence and consolidation of the mafia. 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.
Full Product Details
Author: Rino Coluccello
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan
Edition: 1st ed. 2015
Dimensions:
Width: 14.00cm
, Height: 1.80cm
, Length: 21.60cm
Weight: 4.483kg
ISBN: 9781137280497
ISBN 10: 1137280492
Pages: 260
Publication Date: 20 December 2015
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
'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 Reviewer - Lorenzo Picchi teaches History and History of the Italian Mafia at the Fairfield University in Florence, the University of New Haven in Florence, the Richmond University in Florence, and the George Mason University in Florence There is an overabundance of literature on this subject written in Italian (it seems that a book a day on the mafia is published today in Italy), but, as Coluccello emphasizes in his outline, the competitors in the English-speaking market would be relatively few. Regarding the marketing aspect of the proposed book, there are two things that I would point out. First, books on the Mafia usually, if not always, sell well, as for the most part it is the mafia theme itself that sells. Therefore, the paucity of critical publications in English on the subject may make it an extremely interesting investment for a publisher. Second, I believe the two main competitors of the proposed book would be Salvatore Lupo's History of the Mafia and John Dickie's Cosa Nostra. A History of the Sicilian Mafia. The fact that the two main competitors are history books is interesting. Coluccello writes that his book is not a history book, but it partly seems to be, at least reading his proposal and considering the competitors that he mentions. Lupo and Dickie, as far as I know, are friends, and most of Dickie's conclusions are the same as Lupo's, almost as if one was the Professor and the other the alum. There is not any substantial difference in the conclusions that these two authors reach, nor is there much difference in the way they interpret the phenomenon of the mafia. There is, however, a huge difference in the writing style of the two books. Lupo's book is poorly reviewed by readers on Amazon (three stars out of five for a book on the mafia is definitely not a good result) since his style of writing is extremely hard even for specialists on the subject; another (I believe negative) aspect about Lupo's History of the Mafia is that there is no narration at all in it. Reading it does not give the reader the impression of reading a history book. These two aspects combined explain why this book has not encountered the favor of some of its readers. The opposite should be said for Dickie's Cosa Nostra, notoriously a best seller. Dickie's style of writing, based on presenting the history of the Mafia through a successful combination of a novelist writing style and a way of narrating perfectly targeted to the widest possible English-speaking readership, explain the commercial success of his Cosa Nostra. A History of the Sicilian Mafia (and also the most recent Mafia Brotherhoods. The rise of the Italian Mafias). Coming to analyze Coluccello's proposal more closely, it is difficult to evaluate his style of writing without having read even a chapter of any of his previous books or publications. But the impression that I had reading the proposal that I was sent makes me understand that the book would be targeted mostly towards a high profile reader rather than an average reader. Even though, as Coluccello himself writes, the book could also encounter a wider readership because of its theme. The essay presenting the proposal is accurate and well-documented. Therefore, a possible publication would definitely have a scientific value. The title and the subject matter are very interesting, and the provisional title could be the definitive without any problem. In the first three parts of the proposal there seems to be nothing new that adds to the debate or to knowledge on the mafia that has already been accomplished, while the fourth part is the core of the analysis and of the book. My stronger criticism is on the structure of the book. Why, if the title is Challenging the Mafia mystique: Cosa Nostra from legitimation to denunciation, only one chapter out of thirteen is dedicated to its core theme? My suggestion would be to discuss with Coluccello the structure of the book. If he elaborated that structure he surely had his reasons. Maybe the first three parts could be grouped in one (as it is usually the case), while much more importance should be given to Part 4 that is the core of the book and that adds something consistently new to the debate. The new approach in interpreting the mafia that Coluccello proposes could definitely be very interesting, so why focus on what has already been accomplished in the debate instead of on what is new? A few things that I would argue are the following. Coluccello writes that none of the other, non-Italian mafias have so far shown anything like the sophistication and insight necessary to fill the Italian mafia's shoes. This is not entirely true, however. Mafias in other countries have reached the same levels of power and sophistication as the Italian mafias, even to a larger extent (Russia, Colombia, Mexico are examples of this; countries for which it has been invented the definition mafia-states, meaning countries where the Mafia holds the political power controlling politics directly). In Italy, and particularly in Sicily (which is the subject of Coluccello's analysis), there has also been a strong antimafia tradition. The antimafia in Sicily took the form of a collective movement against the mafia (the peasant movement) until the end of WWII, of isolated intellectuals (such as Danilo Dolci, Peppino Impastato, and Giuseppe Fava, to name the most important ones), and of another collective movement by a significant portion of the Italian public opinion in the early 1980s (coinciding with the escalation of violence in the 80s and early 90s). This is to say that things could be maybe articulated more simply than Coluccello does in his essay. Yet, I consider interesting an approach that would focus on a presumed mafia mystique, even though I would love to read the book to learn about it. As Coluccello himself writes, this would be the real novelty of his publication, so once again I think much more importance should be given to this aspect. Finally, if the editor could suggest the author avoid an overly academic style of writing (typical of Italian scholars, generally) on the contrary privileging a more easily readable one, this in my opinion would be beneficial for both the reader and the publisher, as well as for the debate on the subject.
'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
'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
Author Information
Salvatore Coluccello is Senior Lecturer at the School of International Studies and Social Science, Coventry University, UK.
