Under the shadow of the "viceré": policing in Sicily at the end of the 19th century

The general administration of most of the European states strengthened and modernized during the XIX century, in this context the creation of new police forces allowed to expand the capillary penetration of the states throughout their territories. Since 1861, the young Italian State could dispose of the Carabinieri Reali (Military State police) and of the units of Pubblica Sicurezza (Civil State police). Within the framework of a long period analysis about the creation and distribution of Pubblica Sicurezza Offices (1862-1914), my PhD thesis shows that Sicily was the region where the Italian police most widely spread. The Pubblica Sicurezza officers sent to little Sicilian villages could not rely upon police corps for their exclusive use. Consequently, they were forced to adjust and re-adjust their position to various problems of public order, not only with regard to people needs, but also to administrative rivalries between factions, antagonism and collaboration with other police forces, specific requests of superiors, of Parliament members and of local notables. After having detailed the distribution throughout the Italian territory of public security forces between 1862 and 1914, I will propose a case study about Sicily in 1896-1897. My aim will be to show what were the day-to-day relations between people and State police, in a region which was troubled by criminality, poverty, strikes and violent political struggles.