The local embeddedness of a mafia. Some considerations from the Roman case

This article examines the recent evolution of the notion of mafia in the light of a trial that received a lot of media attention in Italy and around the world. The “Mafia Capitale” or “Mondo di mezzo” case has durably separated this concept from the region of history by focusing the investi-gators’ attention on the use of the Mafia method by the defendants. The case of the Roman underworld can shed light on the French case due to several analogies as well as its historical construction.