'Potere occulto'
Despite the fact I now feel somewhat ambivalent about the forthcoming publication of Global Gangland in a mere fortnight, I am keeping my promise and posting more fragments of the book in this blog.
I still have no idea what Tim would call ‘the money shots’ of Global Gangland are. The extract below comes from the introduction to the chapter on the Italian Mafia – one part of the book that does not endanger me despite my publisher’s cock-up.
Any comments or feedback on the following are welcome, just keep in mind that what you are reading bellow is from the draft manuscript prior to any editing.
THE ITALIAN MAFIA
'Tutto è Mafia in Italia' (Everything in Italy is Mafia) – Traditional Italian saying
No organized crime group has more of a mystique than the Italian Mafia. Yet the Italian Mafia does not, in any concrete way, exist. At one level it is just a shorthand phrase to describe the wide range of very real Italian organized crime groups, ranging from the actual Sicilian Mafia to the ’Ndrangheta from Calabria and the less often mentioned Mala del Brenta of Venice.
The phrase Mafia in Italy has become not only become a synonym for all organized crime groups in the country, but also to describe the web of collusion and corruption associated with them that reaches from the lowest to highest levels of Italian society. In many senses, Mafia has become a brand name associated with everything of the underworld – violence, power, money, conspiracy, secrecy and blood. However, the Mafia 'brand' also carries connotations of tradition, family, masculinity and, above all, honour.
Much of the aura that surrounds the Mafia in Italy stems from the fact that, although it is has now become a nationwide criminal network, it is composed of organized crime gangs that have their roots in and still often function as age-old secret societies. This taps into the deep-rooted Italian belief in 'potere occulto' (hidden power) – the idea that there is a clandestine group guiding the hand of those in visible authority.
The mythology of the Mafia has become so entrenched in Italian culture that it is almost part of the national heritage. Alongside the Mafia’s money and acts of violence, the folklore itself is a powerful tool for inspiring fear and promoting silence. You can tell that organized crime has achieved true power in Italy when the mere use of the word 'Mafia' can bring a finger to the lips of those you are talking with.
I still have no idea what Tim would call ‘the money shots’ of Global Gangland are. The extract below comes from the introduction to the chapter on the Italian Mafia – one part of the book that does not endanger me despite my publisher’s cock-up.
Any comments or feedback on the following are welcome, just keep in mind that what you are reading bellow is from the draft manuscript prior to any editing.
THE ITALIAN MAFIA
'Tutto è Mafia in Italia' (Everything in Italy is Mafia) – Traditional Italian saying
No organized crime group has more of a mystique than the Italian Mafia. Yet the Italian Mafia does not, in any concrete way, exist. At one level it is just a shorthand phrase to describe the wide range of very real Italian organized crime groups, ranging from the actual Sicilian Mafia to the ’Ndrangheta from Calabria and the less often mentioned Mala del Brenta of Venice.
The phrase Mafia in Italy has become not only become a synonym for all organized crime groups in the country, but also to describe the web of collusion and corruption associated with them that reaches from the lowest to highest levels of Italian society. In many senses, Mafia has become a brand name associated with everything of the underworld – violence, power, money, conspiracy, secrecy and blood. However, the Mafia 'brand' also carries connotations of tradition, family, masculinity and, above all, honour.
Much of the aura that surrounds the Mafia in Italy stems from the fact that, although it is has now become a nationwide criminal network, it is composed of organized crime gangs that have their roots in and still often function as age-old secret societies. This taps into the deep-rooted Italian belief in 'potere occulto' (hidden power) – the idea that there is a clandestine group guiding the hand of those in visible authority.
The mythology of the Mafia has become so entrenched in Italian culture that it is almost part of the national heritage. Alongside the Mafia’s money and acts of violence, the folklore itself is a powerful tool for inspiring fear and promoting silence. You can tell that organized crime has achieved true power in Italy when the mere use of the word 'Mafia' can bring a finger to the lips of those you are talking with.
posted by David at 9:40 PM
4 Comments:
i love this sentence:
"...the idea that there is a clandestine group guiding the hand of those in visible authority."
reminds me of what is going on in america, and the clandestine group ain't so clandestine.
looking forward to the book. will it come out in the US?
The book will be available – in the version that has put me at considerable risk – in Britain and Canada from October 2nd. It will be available in a hopefully safer German language edition in Austria and Germany before the end of 2006. An American edition, probably through one of Barnes & Noble’s imprints, is probably going to come out in the second half of 2007. I expect the usual Australian and Estonian versions will also see the light of day at some point in 2007.
A connection between the Mafia and age-old secret societies -- it makes sense.
Being an Italiana myself, and having seeing what the Mafia does with my own eyes (and there are many kinds of Mafia), I am looking forward to reading the book. I am sure this is in your bibliography, but in case it is not, the book 'Cosa Nostra: A History Of The Sicilian Mafia' by John Dickie is very good.
Did you write about the 'P2' organisation as well?
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