Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 184
•
Trim: 5¾ x 8¾
978-0-8108-9632-1 • Paperback • November 2017 • $24.00 • (£17.99)
978-1-4422-2227-4 • eBook • July 2013 • $22.50 • (£16.99)
Antonio Nicaso, is an award-winning journalist, a bestselling author and an internationally recognized expert on organized crime. He is a regular consultant to governments and law-enforcement agencies around the world and a lecturer at several universities. Nicaso teaches in the postgraduate courses on history of organized crime at Middlebury College (Vermont) and he is the co-director of the Centre of Forensic Semiotics at Victoria College (University of Toronto). He sits on International Advisory Council of The Italian Institute of Stategic Studies “Nicolò Machiavelli.
Marcel Danesi is professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto. He is known for his work in language, communications, and semiotics; being Director of the Program in semiotics and communication theory. He has also held positions at Rutgers University, University of Rome "La Sapienza", the Catholic University of Milan, and the University of Lugano. Among his most significant books are Cool: The Signs and Meanings of Adolescence and Popular Culture: An Introduction (2011).
Introduction
1 Origins and Organization
The Origins of the Mafia
Reinvention: Cosa Nostra
The Display of Power
Organization
2 Honor
Omertà
Enacting the Code
Mafia Women
The Yakuza
3 Rituals and Symbols
Rituals and Rites
Religious Symbolism
Initiation and Passage Rites
The Power of Symbols
4 Appearance
The Made Man
Tattoos
Gangster Chic
Enter the Movies
5 Names
The Gang
The Wise Guy
The Talk
Terms of Distinction
6 Myth
Foundation Myths
An American Myth: Cosa Nostra
Street Myths
Technology
Conclusion
Journalist Nicaso (Middlebury College) and anthropologist Danesi (Toronto) demystify the Mafia. Instead of perpetuating the cinematic image of Mafia members as misunderstood patriarchs, the authors spotlight the discrepancies between popular culture and reality. More importantly, they shatter the myth that all Italian mob families operate alike, as well as the myth that organized street gangs, in general, are one-dimensional entities, making this book a valuable addition to the scholarship on organized crime. Nicaso and Danesi clearly show that what keeps these organizations' "thugness" disguised as honorable criminality are the cultural markers and rituals that become the social glue for members. Included in these markers and rituals are distinct clothing, vocabulary, nicknames, and initiations intended to provide a veneer of exclusivity to members. Nicaso and Danesi drive home the point that no gangs, including the Mafia, can be classified together in a homogenous lump. Both anthropological and sociological, the book is exhaustively researched yet lightly written, assumedly to reach a wider audience, particularly at the less initiated undergraduate level. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries.
— Choice Reviews
If you are interested in criminal organizations, particularly the Mafia, this book is a must read. Nicaso and Danesi explain in elaborate detail how the use of rituals binds members and allows criminal organizations to persist through time despite the best efforts of law enforcement.
— Howard Abadinsky, Ph.D., St. John's University
Just when you thought there was nothing new to say about the Mafia comes Antonio Nicaso’s and Marcel Danesi’s Made Men. The authors debunk many of the long-help perceptions of the Mafia myth using a novel approach to deconstruct the Mafia mystique. Made Men is chockfull of insightful observations that help to show that the symbols, rituals, and myths that organized crime groups such as the Mafia (as well as the Yakuza, Triads and Russian mobsters) use to ensure their continuity are little more than self-serving justifications for their criminal and amoral actions.
— Mitchel P. Roth