The Development of a Mafia: A Case Study in Rome.

The Development of a Mafia: A Case Study in Rome.

This paper aims at understanding the development of new mafias in an urban space. It analyses the historical and social factors that have facilitated the development of local mafias in the area of Ostia, a suburb of Rome. In Ostia, local mafias have shown the ability to reproduce a traditional entrenchment model (based on territorial control, fear, ‘omertà’, and social consensus). Underestimated for a long period, these groups have recently attracted more interest but empirical studies on the topic are still rare. The analysis identifies how mafia presence has evolved since its origin (in the 1960s), how the group has changed, and what are the opportunities offered by the context – not only the criminal scenario, but also the social, political and economic one – that allowed these local criminal organisations to increase its power, becoming a mafia. In particular,…