How has creative culture shaped the public's understanding of the Mafia? What role do literature, photography, and cinema play in both perpetuating and challenging myths, stereotypes, and the often glamorized portrayals of the Mafia—particularly among younger audiences? What use does the Mafia make of these depictions? How do narrative choices, visual framing, and language either reinforce silence or foster critical awareness and collective action against organized crime?

This session at Sciences Po brings together Federico Varese, Professor of Sociology and author, and Sabrina Pisu, journalist and author, to discuss these issues.

EXHIBITION
John le Carré: Tradecraft
1 October 2025 – 6 April 2026
Treasury, Weston Library
Free admission, no ticket required
Discover the enduring legacy of one of the greatest writers of the past century.
Tradecraft draws upon the vast archive of John le Carré, otherwise known as David Cornwell. Held at the Bodleian Libraries, this material – much of which is displayed for the first time – spans Cornwell’s entire life and career, from his time as a student at Lincoln College, Oxford, to drafts penned in his final weeks.

The World Drug Report, published every year by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, aims to provide an accurate, scientific and impartial overview of drug trends and patterns around the world.

In this year’s volume on Contemporary issues on drugs, the chapter on “Drug trafficking and organized crime” draws on the framework developed by Federico Varese and his team in the ERC-funded CrimGov project.