WHO DO I KNOW?

COSA NOSTRA AS AN INFORMAL POLICING FORCE IN PALERMO

Résumé

This paper will discuss the role of Cosa Nostra as an informal but de facto policing actor within the metropolitan context of Palermo. Following the path drawn by Norberto Bobbio (1993), who defined the mafia as a vicar extralegal power, I will analyse how Cosa Nostra operate in the maintenance of public order, in particular in the control of street crime activities. Besides this, the ambiguous nature of Nation-States in Europe, often originated by the enactement of extortive practices (Tilly, 1982) will be considered. After explaining the role of Cosa Nostra as an industry of violent protection (Catanzaro, 1987; Franchetti, 1876), I will outline the importance of the relational context the Sicilian mafia operates in (Santino, 2017) as a powerful lever to create public value (Bennington & Moore, 2014). In order to discuss this aspect more in depth, I will draw on the work on the field I made by interviewing police officers, citizens, economic actors and activists in Palermo in 2022.