ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses recent anthropological research in Naples and its province, Fieldwork was based on participant observation and case-studies of individuals, situations and relevant events. It provides contextual information from official statistics and documents, judicial inquiries, newspaper articles and selected available literature. Naples and its province are notoriously characterized by weak industrial development, organized crime, unholy alliances between legal and illegal powers a large informal sector and high official unemployment. Pietro's firm exemplifies important aspects of this situation. Now in his early thirties, he belongs to a family rooted into the Neapolitan sartorial tradition. The case of Vittorio and Cristiano, two local brothers in their late thirties, helps to clarify this issue, which is at the core of problematic industrial relations and of the attendant legislation. According to a study carried out by Caritas and Consiglio Nazionale dell'Economia e del Lavoro (CNEL) in 2005, since 2000 small businesses started by immigrants have steadily increased.
