Reversible Destiny traces the history of the Sicilian mafia to its nineteenth-century roots and examines its
late twentieth-century involvement in urban real estate and construction as well as drugs. Based on research in
the regional capital of Palermo, this book suggests lessons regarding secretive organized crime: its capacity to
reproduce a subculture of violence through time, its acquisition of a dense connective web of political and financial
protectors during the Cold War era, and the sad reality that repressing it easily risks harming vulnerable people
and communities. Charting the efforts of both the judiciary and a citizen's social movement to reverse the mafia's
economic, political, and cultural power, the authors establish a framework for understanding both the difficulties
and the accomplishments of Sicily's multifaceted antimafia efforts.
Table of Contents
1. The Palermo Crucible
2. The Genesis of the Mafia
3. The Mafia and the Cold War
4. The Cultural Production of Violence
5. Seeking Causes, Casting Blame
6. Mysteries and Poisons
7. The Antimafia Movement
8. Backlash and Renewal
9. Civil Society Groundwork
10. Recuperating the Built Environment
11. "Cultural Re-education"
12. Reversible Destiny
