Codes of Commitment to Crime and Resistance: Determining Social and Cultural Factors over the Behaviors of Italian Mafia Women

Citation

Cayli B (2016) Codes of Commitment to Crime and Resistance: Determining Social and Cultural Factors over the Behaviors of Italian Mafia Women. Deviant Behavior, 37 (1), pp. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2014.977206

Abstract
This article categorizes thirty-three women in four main Italian Mafia groups and explores social and cultural behaviors of these women. This study introduces the feminist theory of belief and action. The theoretical inquiry investigates the sometimes conflicting behaviors of women when they are subject to systematic oppression. I argue that there is a cultural polarization among the categorized sub-groups. Conservative radicals give their support to the Mafia while defectors and rebels resist the Mafia. After testing the theory, I assert that emancipation of women depends on the strength of their beliefs to perform actions against the Mafiosi culture.

Keywords
Italian mafia; mafia women; feminist theory; crime and women; organized crime

Journal
Deviant Behavior: Volume 37, Issue 1

• Deviant Behavior 2014.pdf