Bandits in Partinico

Hunger, poverty, misery, illiteracy, child morbidity and mortality, and the deprivation of civil and union rights comprised the picture that emerged from Bandits in Partinico, which drew out the social conditions in which mafia violence was exercised and nourished. In fact, the book cannot immediate...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dolci, Danilo 1924-1997 (Author)
Contributors: Jerne, Christina (Translator)
Format: Print Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
In: Against the mafia
Year: 2024, Pages: 123-141
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Description
Summary:Hunger, poverty, misery, illiteracy, child morbidity and mortality, and the deprivation of civil and union rights comprised the picture that emerged from Bandits in Partinico, which drew out the social conditions in which mafia violence was exercised and nourished. In fact, the book cannot immediately be classified as a work “on” the mafia. Rather, it is a vigorous pamphlet and at the same time a rigorous report complaining about the state of the population of a Sicilian town. The report is rich in data and tables, which Dolci compiled during his daily analyses, carried out in the field in his guise as a militant sociologist. It provides a strong and complete picture of the social conditions in which mafia power is rooted: ignorance, degradation, the absence of work, the scarce credibility of institutions, individualism and the tendency to seek protection from the mighty. The misinformation that he was so adamant about combatting remains effectively one of the mafia’s strong points and builds up its consensus, just as the need for work remains one of the most effective props in a clientelist system that the mafia navigates with absolute ease.
ISBN:9783031296192