160S: The Mafia: Origins, History, and Images

166 Barrows | MWF 12-1 | Instructor: Mia Fuller

Units: 4 Satisfies L&S Historical Studies OR Social & Behavioral Sciences breadth requirement.

We all know that the mafia is a popular subject for books, movies, and TV shows – whether in Italy, the United States, South America, or elsewhere still. Organized crime is good for the entertainment business. It appeals to the imagination, even though in real life there is nothing to admire about the mafia. But what is it? In this course we take a close look at where it all began: southern Italy, especially Sicily. Under what circumstances did this state-within-the-state, or shadow state (as it is often called), emerge? What political, social, and economic conditions made it possible – or even needed, depending on your point of view? And how has it survived, even thrived, despite all the efforts to eradicate it?

Our texts will include analyses from anthropology and history of the social codes (such as honor and silence) that famously characterize mafia societies, and great works of literature and cinema that have created or refined the mafia’s mediatic image. In addition to the four books ordered through the bookstore, we will have readings drawn from (among others) Schneider, Banfield, Campbell, and Hobsbawm, and watch films from the 1960s (such as Lattuada’s Mafioso) to the 2000s (Garrone’s Gomorra) – including, of course, the well-known The Godfather sequence by Francis Ford Coppola. Readings in addition to the books on order will be posted on bCourses.

Grades will be based on preparation, attendance, and participation; written work and a midterm exam.

Prerequisites: none.

Taught in English with readings in English.

Books:

Dainotto, Roberto
The Mafia: A Cultural History
Reaktion Books
paperback
2015
978-1780234434

Dickie, John
Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia
St Martin’s Griffin
paperback
2005
978-1403970428

Saviano, Roberto
Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples’ Organized Crime System
Picador
paperback
2008
978-0312427795

Sciascia, Leonardo
The Day of the Owl
New York Review of Books
paperback
2003
978-1590170618