ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the issue of violence as a distinctive trait of mafias, adopting an analytical approach that focuses our attention on the various forms of capital that characterise these particular groups of organised crime. As is well known, mafia violence not only obeys an instrumental logic, but also has a highly symbolic meaning: it is an economic resource through which wealth is produced, but also a social and cultural resource, important in creating consensus, a reputation and legitimacy inside and outside the organisation. Precisely as organised violence, it is furthermore a fundamental component of the mechanisms of economic and social regulation through which mafiosi control economic transactions and social relations, i.e. markets, contexts and territories. The chapter’s main thesis is that mafia violence not only destroys social relationships, but also contributes to building new ones, through the production of social capital: a crucial resource which allows mafia groups to persist both in time and space. Thus, mafiosi are specialised in the use of violence and are furthermore experts in social relationships, since violence and social capital are crucial components for understanding mafias’ modus operandi in the field of illegal markets as well as in the economic and political arena.
