ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the symbolism of the perceived social equality that criminal actors can achieve in the mondo di mezzo can be the key for understanding this new form of corruption. It summarizes some of the main anthropological approaches to the study of corruption, focusing in particular on those that emphasize the processual and transactional aspects of this phenomenon. The chapter deals with the cognitive and jurisprudence parameters through which the organization of Mafia Capitale is associated with other traditional mafia organizations. The corporatism of the Mafia Capitale system is an expression of the ability to interlock a number of tasks that in the traditional forms of corruption were very costly and partly out of reach. It explores some of the mechanisms of social interaction that predominate in this organization and that render corruption a constantly changing social force. The chapter concludes with the symbolism of corruption in the eyes of the magistrates and the criminals themselves.
