Men of Respect: A Social History of the Sicilian Mafia

Italian sociologist Catanzaro traces the origin and evolution of the Sicilian Mafia from the 1860s to the present day. His myth-breaking account shows that the Mafia codes of ``honor'' and ``instrumental friendship'' emerged as responses to a specific historical context. Mafiosi saw themselves as private agents of public protection. Catanzaro illustrates, with considerable clarity, that ``organization'' not only defined the Mafia, but also enabled it to change as circumstances required. From just after 1860, when Mafia violence was not the only resistance to the new Italian state, the Mafia has always been deeply involved in political life, as well as the social business of community life. Catanzaro ably covers the many official attempts at Mafia repression, from the Fascists in the 1930s to the Italian Parliament's Anti-Mafia Commission in the 1970s. (July)