The Mafia as an example of parallel power and its influence on the construction of Italy's national identity

Tema ovog diplomskog rada je prikaz mafije kao paralelnog oblika vlasti i njen utjecaj na konstruiranje nacionalnog identiteta u Italiji. Rad je baziran na sicilijanskoj mafiji zvanoj "Cosa Nostra". U prvom dijelu rada opisani su počeci mafije, od nastanka organizacije, podrijetla njenog imena, strukture i podjele unutar organizacije, sve do postepenog širenja njenog utjecaja i moći u političkom i društvenom životu. Prikazana je i povijest razvoja mafije te nemogućnost političkih vlasti da ju iskorijene. Mafija je doživljavana kao jači oblik vlasti od onog državnog. U drugom dijelu rada, primjenjujući teorijske postavke o naciji i nacionalnom identitetu, analiziran je značaj mafije za konstrukciju nacionalnog identiteta i osjećaja pripadnosti talijanskoj naciji. Kroz brojne aspekte prikazan je utjecaj mafije na talijansku kulturu i na izgradnju jedinstvenog talijanskog nacionalnog identiteta.The topic of this thesis is the presentation of the Mafia as a parallel form of government and its influence on the construction of national identity in Italy. This paper is mostly based on the information available about the Sicilian mafia, also known as "Cosa Nostra". The first part of the thesis describes the beginnings of the Mafia, from the formation of the organization, the origin of its name, structure and hierarchy within the organization, to the gradual expansion of its influence and power on political and social life. The history of the development of the Mafia is presented as well as inability of the political authorities to eradicate it. At that point in time the Mafia was perceived as a stronger form of government than the state. In the second part of the paper, the importance of the Mafia for the construction of national identity and the sense of belonging to the Italian nation is analyzed, applying theoretical assumptions about the nation and national identity. The influence of the Mafia on Italian culture and on the construction of a unique Italian national identity is shown through various aspects