La mafia come metodo nell’Italia contemporanea - The mafia as method in the contemporary Italy

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the contribution made by the historian Nicola Tranfaglia to the state of historical studies on mafia phenomena, paying particular attention to the publication of his La mafia come metodo also in relation to contemporary scientific production on the subject. Going to the origins of criminal organizations in Southern Italy, one wonders about the relationship they have had and have had with political power throughout the history of the unified state and beyond. Emphasis is then placed on the question formulated by Tranfaglia about the nature of the method specific to the mafia phenomenon.