Doing Research on Mafia Violence: An Introduction

This introductory chapter contains and overview on the phenomenon of violence committed by Italian mafias over the past 30 years, with specific attention given to the case of the Camorra. Although widely held to be one of the foremost features that characterize organized crime’s modus operandi, the different forms of violence implemented by mafias have not as yet been systematically studied in an academic context. Hence, this book aims at filling this gap by providing a theoretical and empirical contribution toward the analysis of one of the lesser known – albeit highly visible and dangerous – dimensions of mafia action. Through the adoption of an approach specifically tailored to the need to adequately balance theoretical and empirical tools, and thanks to the involvement in a major and coherent project of a group of distinguished scholars and experts in the field, these pages provide an overview of the multifaceted nature of the violence currently committed by mafia groups, focusing on specific actors – i.e. Camorra clans, but also other traditional mafia organizations such as Cosa Nostra and the ’Ndrangheta – specific contexts – i.e. different territories but also various markets, both legal and illegal – and specific practices and performances – whether highly visible or symbolic.