마피아와 시칠리아

Abstract

The Mafia is a Sicilian criminal secret society which first developed in the mid-19th century in Sicily. It is deeply rooted in popular culture, therefore it is strictly related to its history. This article presents it’s historical development for understanding the forces which have molded the modern mafia in southern Italy, tracing its roots in the traditional social and economic systems of southern Italy through the postwar transformation of the mafia and into the development of mafia entrepreneurship in drug trafficking since the 1970’s. The mafia’s initial manifestations in southern Italy were related to the social conditioning of competition for honor that dominated social relations in certain parts of Southern Calabria and western Sicily. This was particularly the case in the Palermo area where inequality in the distribution of land was most blatant. Many Sicilians did not regard these men as criminals but as role model and protectors, given that the state appeared to offer no protection for the poor and weak. Here "mafia" means something like pride, honour, or even social responsibility: an attitude, not an organization. The Mafia had its basis in traditional Sicilian culture which endorses the use of violence for the achievement of economic goals, and the cleavage between landowners and peasants. The Sicilian Mafia is now a specific economic enterprise, an industry that produces, promotes, and sells private protection. It is deeply related to the political power system. Unless there is a radical cleanup of the state apparatus, it will not be possible to eradicate the Mafia.