From marching for change to producing the change: reconstructions of the Italian anti-mafia movement

Christina Jerne

The article discusses the shifts in Italian anti-mafia activism from its origins in the nineteenth century to today. The claims, the modes of action and the actors involved have in factvariedconcurrently with the metamorphosis of the mafia, the Italian state and society. Previous waves of anti-mafia protestwere prevalently class-based and often followed the massacre of heroes who stood up to corruption. On the other hand today’s panorama is characterised by a growing number of civil society organisations thatare producing commercial products which contrast the mafia economy through thecreation of an alternative market. The analyses draw on existing literature and on myown qualitative data collected from May-September 2014. The concluding remarks reflect on the shape that anti-mafia activism takeswithin the capitalist market economy.

Suggested citation

Jerne, C (2015) “From marching for change to producing the change: reconstructions of the Italian anti-mafia movement”, Interface, Vol. 7, No. 1: 185-213.