Bandits populate the legends of the lands around the Mediterranean Sea, often in the guise of saviours of the common people against tyranny. Mafias too, with their characteristic blend of ruthlessness, secrecy and codes of honour, have worked their way into the collective consciousness, producing ambiguous feelings of rejection, fascination and admiration. Both have been romanticized, and at the same time represented as aberrant (and abhorrent) actors at the margins of society. But neither of these visions tells us very much about the reality of these phenomena. What exactly is banditry? Why, where and when does it occur? How does it vary across time and space? Why has it been so ubiquitous and persistent in the Mediterranean region? Does it still exist? And how about the Mafia? Are mafia-type organizations a contemporary evolution of banditry, or are they something quite different? Why do they develop in some societies and not in others? Are they a cause or a result of social dysfunctions? Who becomes a bandit, or mafioso, and why? And, what can these forms of criminal activity tell us about the structures, values and workings of our society?
In this course, students will explore the phenomena of banditry and mafia-style organizations from a sociological and anthropological perspective. They will examine different perspectives to build a theoretical framework with which to interpret and analyze case studies from around the Mediterranean. A central element of the course’s theoretical focus will be that of criminality and violence. Why, and when is violence used in society, and what (and who) determines whether it is legitimate or criminal? The students will be introduced to a number of different perspectives, from classical Marxist and Weberian theory, through anthropological approaches, to contemporary analyses, which will highlight the meaning, and the contradictions, of the concept of the State. At the same time, the course will introduce students to some of the overarching themes in Mediterranean history, such as clashes between empires and religions, the modernization of traditional societies, cultural and economic exchanges, and the effects of globalization and the end of communism.
The course is broadly divided into three sections. The first will examine different theoretical perspectives on banditry, and will introduce the concepts of power, authority, honour and legitimacy. The second section will tackle the issue of mafias, with a particular emphasis on traditional approaches to, and recent findings about the three main Italian varieties: the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, the Neopolitan Camorra, and the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, as well as an examination of the newer, post-communist Balkan and Caucasian mafias. It will return to the discussion of power and authority in relation to the problems of establishing democratic states after the collapse of totalitarian enterprises. The final section will ask how the study of banditry and mafias could help us to further understand one of the most worrying aspects of globalization: international terrorism. Parallels will be drawn between the structures of bandit and mafia groups and terrorist cells. (3 credits)
Additional requirements:
Allum, Felia (2008) Revisiting Naples: Clientalism and Organized Crime, Journal of Modern Italian Studies 13 (3) pp 340-365
Broers, Michael (2010) Napoleon’s Other Wars, Oxford: Peter Lang. Chapter 1: The Way things were: Bandits Before the French Revolution; pp1-19. Chapter 5: Spain: The Birth of the Guerrilla. The Bandit Wars? Pp105-129
Carey, Peter (2001) True History of the Kelly Gang, London: Faber and Faber
Chandler, Billy Jaynes (1988) King of the Mountain: The Life and Death of Giuliano the Bandit, De Kalb, Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press
Gasparini, Marco (no date) The Mafia: History and Legend, Paris: Flamarion
Goscinny, René and Albert Uderzo (1979) Asterix in Corsica, Translated by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge, London: Orion Publishing Group.
Içduygu, Ahmet, and Sule Toktas (2002). How do Smuggling and Trafficking Operate via Irregular Border Crossings in the Middle East? Evidence from Fieldwork in Turkey, International Migration, 40 (6)
Saviano, Roberto (2007) Gomorrah: Italy’s Other Mafia, London: Macmillan
Attendance policy:
Attendance is mandatory for all IES classes, including field studies. Any exams, tests, presentations, or other work missed due to student absences can only be rescheduled in cases of documented medical or family emergencies. If a student misses more than three classes in any course half a letter grade will be deducted from the final grade for every additional absence. Seven absences in any course will result in a failing grade.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students are able to:
Outline the main characteristics of banditry and mafia-type activities;
Analyze representations of banditry and mafias in film and literature;
Compare different theoretical perspectives used to analyze banditry and mafias;
Analyze particular cases using different theoretical approaches;
Place explanations of crime and violence within the theoretical context of the State;
Interpret newspaper reports and other contemporary materials;
Assess the ideologies and meanings behind popular interpretations of the phenomena studied;
Use the theoretical tools developed during the course to provide an initial analysis of terrorist violence.
Method of presentation:
Class discussion: The majority of each class will consist of discussions of key themes. The students will be provided with the texts to read for each class on Moodle, together with a list of reading questions designed to focus their attention on key points and concepts in the texts. These will form the basis of the class discussions. The theoretical readings will be supplemented with case studies, distributed through Moodle, which will serve to illustrate the elements of the different theoretical approaches.
Field studies: There will be a field study to visit locations connected with banditry in Barcelona, and a guest speaker will talk about the implantation of foreign mafia groups in the city. Additionally, students will be given a self-guided project, as part of their second essay, to carry out a small survey on opinions and visions of bandits and mafias. (Please see attached notes on the structure of the survey).
Lectures: The professor will supplement the class discussions with lectures to help the students interpret the material provided in the class readings, to tie the readings together, and provide summaries of theoretical approaches to the subject.
Film viewings: There will be several film viewings throughout the course. The films will be screened prior to class. Students will be provided with viewing and discussion questions to be completed on Moodle before the class starts. The films will serve as material for discussion of the theoretical concepts covered in the course.
Required work and form of assessment:
Essays 45% (three essays, 15% each). Students will write three essays, in which they draw on the different theoretical perspectives discussed in class, and use them to analyze case studies from the historical record. The essays will each be approximately 6-8 pages. The completed essays will be submitted as assignments on Moodle.
Midterm exam (20%) which will use different formats to assess students’ progress towards the learning outcomes in the first half of the course. The question formats will include essay questions, short answer questions, justified True/False questions.
Class participation (15%). Students will be expected to come to class prepared, and to participate actively in class.
Final exam (20%) which will use different formats to assess students’ progress towards the learning outcomes in the second half of the course.
content:
Session 1: Introduction to the course. Literary visions of banditry. What is banditry? First attempts at a theoretical perspective.
De Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel (2004), The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of la Mancha, (First published 1605-1615) Project Gutemburg e-book, July 27, 2004 [EBook #996] Translated by John Ormby; Chapters LX-LXI. Available: http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/996/pg996.html. Accessed: 3 September 2011
Session 2: Primitive rebels and the romance of the bandit
Hobsbawn, Eric (2010) Bandits, London: Abacus. Chapter 2: What is Social Banditry; Chapter 3: Who Becomes a Bandit? Pp 19-45
Giddens, Anthony (2011 [1971]) Capitalism and Modern Social Theory; Cambridge: CUP. Part I, Chapter 3: The Relations of Production and Class Structure, pp 35-45
Session 3: The critique of “social banditry”
Blok, Anton (1972) The Peasant and the Brigand: Social Banditry Reconsidered, Comparative Studies in Society and History, 14 (4) pp. 494-503. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/178039
Slatta, Richard W. (2004), Eric J. Hobsbawm’s Social Bandit: A Critique and Revision, A Contracorriente, A Journal on Social History and Literature in Latin America. Available: http://www.ncsu.edu/acontracorriente/spring_04/Slatta.pdf. Accessed: 26 July 2011
Bojnicanová, Renáta, Biographical sketch of Perot de Rocaguinarda, from La figura del bandolero en la literatura oral eslovaca y catalana: Paralelos folclórico-literarios. Memoria para optar al grado de doctor. Madrid, 2007 • ISBN: 978-84-692-0091-9. Available: http://eprints.ucm.es/7663/1/T30140bis.pdf Translated from Spanish by Alex Walker
Session 4: Legitimacy, violence, crime and the State: The political and legal context of banditry
Session 5: Manifestations of banditry I: Empires and frontiers
Grünewald, Thomas (2004) Bandits in the Roman Empire: Myths and Reality, London and New York: Routledge. Chapter 5: Leistai in Judaea, pp 91-109
Session 6: Honour and legitimacy: The moral context of banditry
Bracewell, Catherine Wendy (2010) The Uskoks of Senj: Piracy, Banditry, and Holy War in the Sixteenth Century Adriatic, Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, Chapter 6, Legitimating Raiding: The Uskok Code, pp 155-174
Campbell, JK (1965) Honour and the Devil, in JG Peristany (ed) Honour and Shame: The Values of Mediterranean Society, London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson. Pp 141-170
Session 7: Manifestations of banditry II: Banditry and nationalism
Broers, Michael (2010) Napoleon’s Other War: Bandits, Rebels and their Pursuers in the Age of Revolutions, Oxford: Peter Lang, Chapter 5, Spain: The Birth of the Guerrilla. The Bandits’ War? Pp 105-127
Session 8: Persistence of banditry in place.
Field study: Sites associated with banditry in Barcelona
Session 9: Bandits or maquis? Resistance to the Franco regime, the case of Francesc Sabaté Llopart “El Quico”
Hobsbawn, Eric (2010) Bandits, London: Abacus. Chapter 9: The Expropriators, Pp 120-138
Tellez, Antonio (1998/1974) Sabaté, Guerilla Extraordinary, Original title: La Guerriglia Urbana in Spagna: Sabaté) Catania: Elephant Editions/AK Press. Chapter 4 Hopes pp 45-52
Session 10: Film viewing: Salvatore Giuliano (Dir. Francesco Rosi, 1962)
Rosi, Francesco (1962) Salvatore Giuliano, Italy: Galatea Film
Session 11:Midterm Exam
Session 12: Film viewing: Gomorra (Dir. Matteo Garrone, 2008)
Garrone, Matteo (2008) Gomorra, Italy, Fandango/RAI Television
Session 13: Italian Mafias: CosaNostra, ‘Ndrangheta and the Camorra
Behan, Tom (2009) See Naples and Die: The Camorra and Organised Crime, New York: IB Tauris and Co. Chapter 1: The Origins of the Camorra and the Mafia, pp. 17-47
Dickie, John (2011) Mafia Brotherhoods: Camorra, mafia, ‘ndrangheta: The rise of the Honoured Societies, London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. Preface and Introduction, pp 1-27
Session 14: Mafias, cultural perspectives
Lewis, Norman, ([1964] 1984) The Honoured Society, London: Eland Publishing Ltd, pp. 11-43
Session 15: Mafias, economic perspectives
Gambetta, Diego (1993) The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection. Cambridge Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Introduction and Chapter 4, The Origins, pp 1-11 and 75-99
Session 16: Mafia as territorial organizations
Paoli, Letizia, (2003) Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style, New York: OUP. Chapter 4: Multiplicity of Goals and Functions, pp. 141-177
Session 17: Pre-class film viewing: Excellent Cadavers (2005) Directed by Marco Turco
Turco, Marco (2005) Excellent Cadavers USA: Icarus Films
Session 18: Organized crime and foreign mafias in Spain
Sands, Jennifer (2007) Organized Crime and Illicit Activities in Spain: Causes and Facilitating Factors, Mediterranean Politics12 (2) pp 211-232. Available on EBSCO
Session 19: Guest speaker: Journalist specializing in organized crime in Spain.
Session 20: The Caucasian Mafias, background and activities
Glenny, Misha (2009) McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld, New York: Vintage Books, Chapter 4, Spreading the Word, pp 71-96
Kukhianidze, Alexandre (2009) Corruption and organized crime in Georgia before and after the ‘Rose Revolution’ Central Asian Survey, 28, (2) pp 215–234. Available on EBSCO
Session 21: Balkan mafias: Origins, growth and the nexus with terrorism.
Glenny, Misha (2009) McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld, New York: Vintage Books, Chapter 2, Bloody Lucre, pp 25-45
Lawson, Colin and Douglas Saltmarshe (2000) Security and Economic Transition: Evidence from North Albania,Europe-Asia Studies, 52, (1), pp. 133-148. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/153755
Session 22: Mafias and Terrorism: Links and structural similarities
Mincheva, Lyubov and Ted Robert Gurr (2006): Unholy Alliances? How Trans-state Terrorism and International Crime Make Common Cause, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, Panel on Comparative Perspectives on States, Terrorism and Crime, San Diego, March 24, 2006. Available: http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/publications/papers/unholy_alliances.pdf. Accessed: 23 September 2011
Held, Virginia (2005): Legitimate Authority in Non-State Groups Using Violence. Journal of Social Philosophy, 36 (2), pp175-193, Available on EBSCO Host
Schneider, Jane and Peter Schneider (2002) The Mafia and al-Qaeda: Violent and Secretive Organizations in Comparative and Historical Perspective, American Anthropologist, New Series,104 (3) pp. 776-782. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3567255
Session 23: The structure of terrorist cells: A case study.
Atran, Scott (2010) Talking to the Enemy: Violent Extremism, Sacred Values and What it Means to Be Human London: Penguin Books. Chapter 11: The Great Train Bombing: Madrid, March 11 2004. Pp 168-195
Session 24: Course conclusions. Review session final exam
Required readings:
Atran, Scott (2010) Talking to the Enemy: Violent Extremism, Sacred Values and What it Means to Be Human London: Penguin Books. Chapter 11: The Great Train Bombing: Madrid, March 11 2004. Pp 168-195
Behan, Tom (2009) See Naples and Die: The Camorra and Organised Crime, New York: IB Tauris and Co. Chapter 1: The Origins of the Camorra and the Mafia, pp. 17-47
Blok, Anton (1972) The Peasant and the Brigand: Social Banditry Reconsidered, Comparative Studies in Society and History, 14 (4) pp. 494-503. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/178039
Bojnicanová, Renáta, Biographical sketch of Perot de Rocaguinarda, from La figura del bandolero en la literatura oral eslovaca y catalana: Paralelos folclórico-literarios. Memoria para optar al grado de doctor. Madrid, 2007 ISBN: 978-84-692-0091-9. Available: http://eprints.ucm.es/7663/1/T30140bis.pdf Translated from Spanish by Alex Walker
Bracewell, Catherine Wendy (2010) The Uskoks of Senj: Piracy, Banditry, and Holy War in the Sixteenth Century Adriatic, Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, Chapter 6, Legitimating Raiding: The Uskok Code, pp 155-174
Broers, Michael (2010) Napoleon’s Other War: Bandits, Rebels and their Pursuers in the Age of Revolutions, Oxford: Peter Lang, Chapter 5, Spain: The Birth of the Guerrilla. The Bandits’ War? Pp 105-127
Campbell, JK (1965) Honour and the Devil, in JG Peristany (ed) Honour and Shame: The Values of Mediterranean Society, London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson. Pp 141-170
De Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel (2004), The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of la Mancha, (First published 1605-1615) Project Gutemburg e-book, July 27, 2004 [EBook #996] Translated by John Ormby; Chapters LX-LXI. Available: http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/996/pg996.html. Accessed: 3 September 2011
Dickie, John (2011) Mafia Brotherhoods: Camorra, mafia, ‘ndrangheta: The rise of the Honoured Societies, London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. Preface and Introduction, pp 1-27
Gambetta, Diego (1993) The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection. Cambridge Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Introduction and Chapter 4, The Origins, pp 1-11 and 75-99
Garrone, Matteo (2008) Gomorra, Italy, Fandango/RAI Television
Giddens, Anthony (2011 [1971]) Capitalism and Modern Social Theory; Cambridge: CUP. Part I, Chapter 3: The Relations of Production and Class Structure, pp 35-45
Glenny, Misha (2009) McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld, New York: Vintage Books, Chapter 4, Spreading the Word, pp 71-96
Glenny, Misha (2009) McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld, New York: Vintage Books, Chapter 2, Bloody Lucre, pp 25-45
Grünewald, Thomas (2004) Bandits in the Roman Empire: Myths and Reality, London and New York: Routledge. Chapter 5: Leistai in Judaea, pp 91-109
Held, Virginia (2005): Legitimate Authority in Non-State Groups Using Violence. Journal of Social Philosophy, 36 (2), pp175-193, Available on EBSCO Host
Hobsbawn, Eric (2010) Bandits, London: Abacus. Chapter 2: What is Social Banditry; Chapter 3: Who Becomes a Bandit? Pp 19-45
Hobsbawn, Eric (2010) Bandits, London: Abacus. Chapter 9: The Expropriators, Pp 120-138
Kukhianidze, Alexandre (2009) Corruption and organized crime in Georgia before and after the ‘Rose Revolution’ Central Asian Survey, 28, (2) pp 215–234. Available on EBSCO
Lawson, Colin and Douglas Saltmarshe (2000) Security and Economic Transition: Evidence from North Albania,Europe-Asia Studies, 52, (1), pp. 133-148. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/153755
Lewis, Norman, ([1964] 1984) The Honoured Society, London: Eland Publishing Ltd, pp. 11-43
Mincheva, Lyubov and Ted Robert Gurr (2006): Unholy Alliances? How Trans-state Terrorism and International Crime Make Common Cause, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, Panel on Comparative Perspectives on States, Terrorism and Crime, San Diego, March 24, 2006. Available: http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/publications/papers/unholy_alliances.pdf. Accessed: 23 September 2011
Paoli, Letizia, (2003) Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style, New York: OUP. Chapter 4: Multiplicity of Goals and Functions, pp. 141-177
Rosi, Francesco (1962) Salvatore Giuliano, Italy: Galatea Film
Sands, Jennifer (2007) Organized Crime and Illicit Activities in Spain: Causes and Facilitating Factors, Mediterranean Politics12 (2) pp 211-232. Available on EBSCO
Schneider, Jane and Peter Schneider (2002) The Mafia and al-Qaeda: Violent and Secretive Organizations in Comparative and Historical Perspective, American Anthropologist, New Series,104 (3) pp. 776-782. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3567255
Slatta, Richard W. (2004), Eric J. Hobsbawm’s Social Bandit: A Critique and Revision, A Contracorriente, A Journal on Social History and Literature in Latin America. Available: http://www.ncsu.edu/acontracorriente/spring_04/Slatta.pdf. Accessed: 26 July 2011
Tellez, Antonio (1998/1974) Sabaté, Guerilla Extraordinary, Original title: La Guerriglia Urbana in Spagna: Sabaté) Catania: Elephant Editions/AK Press. Chapter 4 Hopes pp 45-52
Turco, Marco (2005) Excellent Cadavers USA: Icarus Films
Alex Walker studied Social Anthropology at Cambridge University, where he wrote a final year thesis on an anarcho-syndicalist land reform movement by landless agricultural workers in Andalucía. He studied a Masters degree in Engineering for Rural Development at Cranfield Institute of Technology, after which he worked for a year in the installation of water supply systems in villages destroyed by the civil war in Northern Guatemala. He wrote his PhD on informal housing growth in Mexico City at University College London, concentrating on the use of cultural symbolism as a strategy to overcome social and legal marginalization by the inhabitants of the settlements. His post-doctoral research in Barcelona included contributing the section on Barcelona, and editing a UN Habitat report on slums and poverty. At IES Abroad Barcelona he has taught courses on both urban studies and anthropology. Over the past few years his continuing interest in issues of marginalization and legitimacy has led him to research into banditry and mafias.
Banditry And Mafias In The Mediterranean
Bandits populate the legends of the lands around the Mediterranean Sea, often in the guise of saviours of the common people against tyranny. Mafias too, with their characteristic blend of ruthlessness, secrecy and codes of honour, have worked their way into the collective consciousness, producing ambiguous feelings of rejection, fascination and admiration. Both have been romanticized, and at the same time represented as aberrant (and abhorrent) actors at the margins of society. But neither of these visions tells us very much about the reality of these phenomena. What exactly is banditry? Why, where and when does it occur? How does it vary across time and space? Why has it been so ubiquitous and persistent in the Mediterranean region? Does it still exist? And how about the Mafia? Are mafia-type organizations a contemporary evolution of banditry, or are they something quite different? Why do they develop in some societies and not in others? Are they a cause or a result of social dysfunctions? Who becomes a bandit, or mafioso, and why? And, what can these forms of criminal activity tell us about the structures, values and workings of our society?
In this course, students will explore the phenomena of banditry and mafia-style organizations from a sociological and anthropological perspective. They will examine different perspectives to build a theoretical framework with which to interpret and analyze case studies from around the Mediterranean. A central element of the course’s theoretical focus will be that of criminality and violence. Why, and when is violence used in society, and what (and who) determines whether it is legitimate or criminal? The students will be introduced to a number of different perspectives, from classical Marxist and Weberian theory, through anthropological approaches, to contemporary analyses, which will highlight the meaning, and the contradictions, of the concept of the State. At the same time, the course will introduce students to some of the overarching themes in Mediterranean history, such as clashes between empires and religions, the modernization of traditional societies, cultural and economic exchanges, and the effects of globalization and the end of communism.
The course is broadly divided into three sections. The first will examine different theoretical perspectives on banditry, and will introduce the concepts of power, authority, honour and legitimacy. The second section will tackle the issue of mafias, with a particular emphasis on traditional approaches to, and recent findings about the three main Italian varieties: the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, the Neopolitan Camorra, and the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, as well as an examination of the newer, post-communist Balkan and Caucasian mafias. It will return to the discussion of power and authority in relation to the problems of establishing democratic states after the collapse of totalitarian enterprises. The final section will ask how the study of banditry and mafias could help us to further understand one of the most worrying aspects of globalization: international terrorism. Parallels will be drawn between the structures of bandit and mafia groups and terrorist cells. (3 credits)
Allum, Felia (2008) Revisiting Naples: Clientalism and Organized Crime, Journal of Modern Italian Studies 13 (3) pp 340-365
Broers, Michael (2010) Napoleon’s Other Wars, Oxford: Peter Lang. Chapter 1: The Way things were: Bandits Before the French Revolution; pp1-19. Chapter 5: Spain: The Birth of the Guerrilla. The Bandit Wars? Pp105-129
Carey, Peter (2001) True History of the Kelly Gang, London: Faber and Faber
Chandler, Billy Jaynes (1988) King of the Mountain: The Life and Death of Giuliano the Bandit, De Kalb, Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press
Gasparini, Marco (no date) The Mafia: History and Legend, Paris: Flamarion
Goscinny, René and Albert Uderzo (1979) Asterix in Corsica, Translated by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge, London: Orion Publishing Group.
Içduygu, Ahmet, and Sule Toktas (2002). How do Smuggling and Trafficking Operate via Irregular Border Crossings in the Middle East? Evidence from Fieldwork in Turkey, International Migration, 40 (6)
Saviano, Roberto (2007) Gomorrah: Italy’s Other Mafia, London: Macmillan
Attendance is mandatory for all IES classes, including field studies. Any exams, tests, presentations, or other work missed due to student absences can only be rescheduled in cases of documented medical or family emergencies. If a student misses more than three classes in any course half a letter grade will be deducted from the final grade for every additional absence. Seven absences in any course will result in a failing grade.
By the end of the course, students are able to:
Class discussion: The majority of each class will consist of discussions of key themes. The students will be provided with the texts to read for each class on Moodle, together with a list of reading questions designed to focus their attention on key points and concepts in the texts. These will form the basis of the class discussions. The theoretical readings will be supplemented with case studies, distributed through Moodle, which will serve to illustrate the elements of the different theoretical approaches.
Field studies: There will be a field study to visit locations connected with banditry in Barcelona, and a guest speaker will talk about the implantation of foreign mafia groups in the city. Additionally, students will be given a self-guided project, as part of their second essay, to carry out a small survey on opinions and visions of bandits and mafias. (Please see attached notes on the structure of the survey).
Lectures: The professor will supplement the class discussions with lectures to help the students interpret the material provided in the class readings, to tie the readings together, and provide summaries of theoretical approaches to the subject.
Film viewings: There will be several film viewings throughout the course. The films will be screened prior to class. Students will be provided with viewing and discussion questions to be completed on Moodle before the class starts. The films will serve as material for discussion of the theoretical concepts covered in the course.
Session 1: Introduction to the course. Literary visions of banditry. What is banditry? First attempts at a theoretical perspective.
De Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel (2004), The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of la Mancha, (First published 1605-1615) Project Gutemburg e-book, July 27, 2004 [EBook #996] Translated by John Ormby; Chapters LX-LXI. Available: http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/996/pg996.html. Accessed: 3 September 2011
Session 2: Primitive rebels and the romance of the bandit
Hobsbawn, Eric (2010) Bandits, London: Abacus. Chapter 2: What is Social Banditry; Chapter 3: Who Becomes a Bandit? Pp 19-45
Giddens, Anthony (2011 [1971]) Capitalism and Modern Social Theory; Cambridge: CUP. Part I, Chapter 3: The Relations of Production and Class Structure, pp 35-45
Session 3: The critique of “social banditry”
Blok, Anton (1972) The Peasant and the Brigand: Social Banditry Reconsidered, Comparative Studies in Society and History, 14 (4) pp. 494-503. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/178039
Slatta, Richard W. (2004), Eric J. Hobsbawm’s Social Bandit: A Critique and Revision, A Contracorriente, A Journal on Social History and Literature in Latin America. Available: http://www.ncsu.edu/acontracorriente/spring_04/Slatta.pdf. Accessed: 26 July 2011
Bojnicanová, Renáta, Biographical sketch of Perot de Rocaguinarda, from La figura del bandolero en la literatura oral eslovaca y catalana: Paralelos folclórico-literarios. Memoria para optar al grado de doctor. Madrid, 2007 • ISBN: 978-84-692-0091-9. Available: http://eprints.ucm.es/7663/1/T30140bis.pdf Translated from Spanish by Alex Walker
Session 4: Legitimacy, violence, crime and the State: The political and legal context of banditry
Weber, Max (1919) Politics as a Vocation, English translation, available at: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/moriyuki/abukuma/weber/lecture/politics_vocation.html
Session 5: Manifestations of banditry I: Empires and frontiers
Grünewald, Thomas (2004) Bandits in the Roman Empire: Myths and Reality, London and New York: Routledge. Chapter 5: Leistai in Judaea, pp 91-109
Session 6: Honour and legitimacy: The moral context of banditry
Bracewell, Catherine Wendy (2010) The Uskoks of Senj: Piracy, Banditry, and Holy War in the Sixteenth Century Adriatic, Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, Chapter 6, Legitimating Raiding: The Uskok Code, pp 155-174
Campbell, JK (1965) Honour and the Devil, in JG Peristany (ed) Honour and Shame: The Values of Mediterranean Society, London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson. Pp 141-170
Session 7: Manifestations of banditry II: Banditry and nationalism
Broers, Michael (2010) Napoleon’s Other War: Bandits, Rebels and their Pursuers in the Age of Revolutions, Oxford: Peter Lang, Chapter 5, Spain: The Birth of the Guerrilla. The Bandits’ War? Pp 105-127
Session 8: Persistence of banditry in place.
Field study: Sites associated with banditry in Barcelona
Session 9: Bandits or maquis? Resistance to the Franco regime, the case of Francesc Sabaté Llopart “El Quico”
Hobsbawn, Eric (2010) Bandits, London: Abacus. Chapter 9: The Expropriators, Pp 120-138
No identified author, Sabate Llopart, Francisco, "El Quico", 1915-1960, Available: http://libcom.org/history/articles/1915-1960-francisco-sabate-llopart/, accessed 24 December 2011
Tellez, Antonio (1998/1974) Sabaté, Guerilla Extraordinary, Original title: La Guerriglia Urbana in Spagna: Sabaté) Catania: Elephant Editions/AK Press. Chapter 4 Hopes pp 45-52
Session 10: Film viewing: Salvatore Giuliano (Dir. Francesco Rosi, 1962)
Rosi, Francesco (1962) Salvatore Giuliano, Italy: Galatea Film
Session 11: Midterm Exam
Session 12: Film viewing: Gomorra (Dir. Matteo Garrone, 2008)
Garrone, Matteo (2008) Gomorra, Italy, Fandango/RAI Television
Session 13: Italian Mafias: Cosa Nostra, ‘Ndrangheta and the Camorra
Behan, Tom (2009) See Naples and Die: The Camorra and Organised Crime, New York: IB Tauris and Co. Chapter 1: The Origins of the Camorra and the Mafia, pp. 17-47
Dickie, John (2011) Mafia Brotherhoods: Camorra, mafia, ‘ndrangheta: The rise of the Honoured Societies, London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. Preface and Introduction, pp 1-27
Session 14: Mafias, cultural perspectives
Lewis, Norman, ([1964] 1984) The Honoured Society, London: Eland Publishing Ltd, pp. 11-43
Session 15: Mafias, economic perspectives
Gambetta, Diego (1993) The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection. Cambridge Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Introduction and Chapter 4, The Origins, pp 1-11 and 75-99
Session 16: Mafia as territorial organizations
Paoli, Letizia, (2003) Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style, New York: OUP. Chapter 4: Multiplicity of Goals and Functions, pp. 141-177
Session 17: Pre-class film viewing: Excellent Cadavers (2005) Directed by Marco Turco
Turco, Marco (2005) Excellent Cadavers USA: Icarus Films
Session 18: Organized crime and foreign mafias in Spain
Sands, Jennifer (2007) Organized Crime and Illicit Activities in Spain: Causes and Facilitating Factors, Mediterranean Politics 12 (2) pp 211-232. Available on EBSCO
Burgen, Stephen, (2006) Pirates of the Mediterranean, The Sunday Times, July 30, 2006, available: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article690365.ece, accessed 4 October 2011
Session 19: Guest speaker: Journalist specializing in organized crime in Spain.
Session 20: The Caucasian Mafias, background and activities
Glenny, Misha (2009) McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld, New York: Vintage Books, Chapter 4, Spreading the Word, pp 71-96
Kukhianidze, Alexandre (2009) Corruption and organized crime in Georgia before and after the ‘Rose Revolution’ Central Asian Survey, 28, (2) pp 215–234. Available on EBSCO
Session 21: Balkan mafias: Origins, growth and the nexus with terrorism.
Glenny, Misha (2009) McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld, New York: Vintage Books, Chapter 2, Bloody Lucre, pp 25-45
Lawson, Colin and Douglas Saltmarshe (2000) Security and Economic Transition: Evidence from North Albania, Europe-Asia Studies, 52, (1), pp. 133-148. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/153755
Session 22: Mafias and Terrorism: Links and structural similarities
Mincheva, Lyubov and Ted Robert Gurr (2006): Unholy Alliances? How Trans-state Terrorism and International Crime Make Common Cause, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, Panel on Comparative Perspectives on States, Terrorism and Crime, San Diego, March 24, 2006. Available: http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/publications/papers/unholy_alliances.pdf. Accessed: 23 September 2011
Held, Virginia (2005): Legitimate Authority in Non-State Groups Using Violence. Journal of Social Philosophy, 36 (2), pp175-193, Available on EBSCO Host
Schneider, Jane and Peter Schneider (2002) The Mafia and al-Qaeda: Violent and Secretive Organizations in Comparative and Historical Perspective, American Anthropologist, New Series, 104 (3) pp. 776-782. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3567255
Session 23: The structure of terrorist cells: A case study.
Atran, Scott (2010) Talking to the Enemy: Violent Extremism, Sacred Values and What it Means to Be Human London: Penguin Books. Chapter 11: The Great Train Bombing: Madrid, March 11 2004. Pp 168-195
Session 24: Course conclusions. Review session final exam
Atran, Scott (2010) Talking to the Enemy: Violent Extremism, Sacred Values and What it Means to Be Human London: Penguin Books. Chapter 11: The Great Train Bombing: Madrid, March 11 2004. Pp 168-195
Behan, Tom (2009) See Naples and Die: The Camorra and Organised Crime, New York: IB Tauris and Co. Chapter 1: The Origins of the Camorra and the Mafia, pp. 17-47
Blok, Anton (1972) The Peasant and the Brigand: Social Banditry Reconsidered, Comparative Studies in Society and History, 14 (4) pp. 494-503. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/178039
Bojnicanová, Renáta, Biographical sketch of Perot de Rocaguinarda, from La figura del bandolero en la literatura oral eslovaca y catalana: Paralelos folclórico-literarios. Memoria para optar al grado de doctor. Madrid, 2007 ISBN: 978-84-692-0091-9. Available: http://eprints.ucm.es/7663/1/T30140bis.pdf Translated from Spanish by Alex Walker
Bracewell, Catherine Wendy (2010) The Uskoks of Senj: Piracy, Banditry, and Holy War in the Sixteenth Century Adriatic, Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, Chapter 6, Legitimating Raiding: The Uskok Code, pp 155-174
Broers, Michael (2010) Napoleon’s Other War: Bandits, Rebels and their Pursuers in the Age of Revolutions, Oxford: Peter Lang, Chapter 5, Spain: The Birth of the Guerrilla. The Bandits’ War? Pp 105-127
Burgen, Stephen, (2006) Pirates of the Mediterranean, The Sunday Times, July 30, 2006, available: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article690365.ece, accessed 4 October 2011
Campbell, JK (1965) Honour and the Devil, in JG Peristany (ed) Honour and Shame: The Values of Mediterranean Society, London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson. Pp 141-170
De Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel (2004), The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of la Mancha, (First published 1605-1615) Project Gutemburg e-book, July 27, 2004 [EBook #996] Translated by John Ormby; Chapters LX-LXI. Available: http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/996/pg996.html. Accessed: 3 September 2011
Dickie, John (2011) Mafia Brotherhoods: Camorra, mafia, ‘ndrangheta: The rise of the Honoured Societies, London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. Preface and Introduction, pp 1-27
Gambetta, Diego (1993) The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection. Cambridge Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Introduction and Chapter 4, The Origins, pp 1-11 and 75-99
Garrone, Matteo (2008) Gomorra, Italy, Fandango/RAI Television
Giddens, Anthony (2011 [1971]) Capitalism and Modern Social Theory; Cambridge: CUP. Part I, Chapter 3: The Relations of Production and Class Structure, pp 35-45
Glenny, Misha (2009) McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld, New York: Vintage Books, Chapter 4, Spreading the Word, pp 71-96
Glenny, Misha (2009) McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld, New York: Vintage Books, Chapter 2, Bloody Lucre, pp 25-45
Grünewald, Thomas (2004) Bandits in the Roman Empire: Myths and Reality, London and New York: Routledge. Chapter 5: Leistai in Judaea, pp 91-109
Held, Virginia (2005): Legitimate Authority in Non-State Groups Using Violence. Journal of Social Philosophy, 36 (2), pp175-193, Available on EBSCO Host
Hobsbawn, Eric (2010) Bandits, London: Abacus. Chapter 2: What is Social Banditry; Chapter 3: Who Becomes a Bandit? Pp 19-45
Hobsbawn, Eric (2010) Bandits, London: Abacus. Chapter 9: The Expropriators, Pp 120-138
Kukhianidze, Alexandre (2009) Corruption and organized crime in Georgia before and after the ‘Rose Revolution’ Central Asian Survey, 28, (2) pp 215–234. Available on EBSCO
Lawson, Colin and Douglas Saltmarshe (2000) Security and Economic Transition: Evidence from North Albania, Europe-Asia Studies, 52, (1), pp. 133-148. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/153755
Lewis, Norman, ([1964] 1984) The Honoured Society, London: Eland Publishing Ltd, pp. 11-43
Mincheva, Lyubov and Ted Robert Gurr (2006): Unholy Alliances? How Trans-state Terrorism and International Crime Make Common Cause, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, Panel on Comparative Perspectives on States, Terrorism and Crime, San Diego, March 24, 2006. Available: http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/publications/papers/unholy_alliances.pdf. Accessed: 23 September 2011
No identified author, Sabate Llopart, Francisco, "El Quico", 1915-1960, Available: http://libcom.org/history/articles/1915-1960-francisco-sabate-llopart/, accessed 24 December 2011
Paoli, Letizia, (2003) Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style, New York: OUP. Chapter 4: Multiplicity of Goals and Functions, pp. 141-177
Rosi, Francesco (1962) Salvatore Giuliano, Italy: Galatea Film
Sands, Jennifer (2007) Organized Crime and Illicit Activities in Spain: Causes and Facilitating Factors, Mediterranean Politics 12 (2) pp 211-232. Available on EBSCO
Schneider, Jane and Peter Schneider (2002) The Mafia and al-Qaeda: Violent and Secretive Organizations in Comparative and Historical Perspective, American Anthropologist, New Series, 104 (3) pp. 776-782. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3567255
Slatta, Richard W. (2004), Eric J. Hobsbawm’s Social Bandit: A Critique and Revision, A Contracorriente, A Journal on Social History and Literature in Latin America. Available: http://www.ncsu.edu/acontracorriente/spring_04/Slatta.pdf. Accessed: 26 July 2011
Tellez, Antonio (1998/1974) Sabaté, Guerilla Extraordinary, Original title: La Guerriglia Urbana in Spagna: Sabaté) Catania: Elephant Editions/AK Press. Chapter 4 Hopes pp 45-52
Turco, Marco (2005) Excellent Cadavers USA: Icarus Films
Weber, Max (1919) Politics as a Vocation, English translation, available at: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/moriyuki/abukuma/weber/lecture/politics_vocation.html
Alex Walker studied Social Anthropology at Cambridge University, where he wrote a final year thesis on an anarcho-syndicalist land reform movement by landless agricultural workers in Andalucía. He studied a Masters degree in Engineering for Rural Development at Cranfield Institute of Technology, after which he worked for a year in the installation of water supply systems in villages destroyed by the civil war in Northern Guatemala. He wrote his PhD on informal housing growth in Mexico City at University College London, concentrating on the use of cultural symbolism as a strategy to overcome social and legal marginalization by the inhabitants of the settlements. His post-doctoral research in Barcelona included contributing the section on Barcelona, and editing a UN Habitat report on slums and poverty. At IES Abroad Barcelona he has taught courses on both urban studies and anthropology. Over the past few years his continuing interest in issues of marginalization and legitimacy has led him to research into banditry and mafias.