The action was organized around 5 work packages (WPs). WP1 ran throughout the 24 months-project, entailing a regular review of research management and progress, career development plan (CDP) and contingencies issues evaluation liaising with the project mentor and a number of external advisors.
WP2 focused on tracing mafia presence in 19th century Messina, while acquiring new skills in different research methodologies. As there was no existing literature on the topic, in order to seek data from such an earlier period, lengthy archival research was conducted at the Regional Libraries in Messina and Palermo, the Tribunal historical archive, the State Archives in Rome, Messina, Palermo, Agrigento and Trapani, the Prefecture Archive in Palermo, and at the National Newspapers library in Florence. The search was successful and the quantity and relevance of data unearthed was unexpected, resulting in the delivery of 1 keynote, 3 conference and 3 seminar presentations, as well as in 1 conference proceedings volume and 1 journal manuscript both in preparation, and 1 monograph underway.
WP3 focused particularly on understanding the organisation and workings of mafia networks in Messina today. Most judicial reports on Messina mafia activities from 1990s to present day were collected ahead of schedule. Also, in this phase, the Fellow began building relations with prominent antimafia Prosecutors who would then become an integral part of the action. Not only did State authorities make relevant judicial materials available, they also contributed with recorded interviews and more informal meetings to discuss the research findings at different stages of the project. These ongoing collaborations have resulted in an important body of data to achieve the objects of this study, particularly in relation to gaining an up-to-date overview on mafia activities and clan distributions in the province of Messina, including the role of women in mafia crime.
In WP4, an extensive literature review was carried out to gain an understanding of existing theoretical debates and approaches in the study of organized crime of mafia-type, and to test their validity on the Messina case. This has allowed the Fellow to embed her investigation in an analytical framework focused on the methods and questions of historical and sociological enquiry into mafia organised crime. It also led the Fellow to develop a theoretical framework around the notion of “arena” as a “space of discourse and action” where relations and negotiations of power take place. This novel conceptual framework has potential utility in understanding the different dynamics through which Italian mafias, amd organised crime in general - are able to adapt to wider political and social processes of transformation. This framework has since been presented at a number of dissemination events including the international general conference held in Messina in September 2021 which concluded the MessCa action and reunited most prominent state authorities, scholars and practitioners in the field, attracting also a large in person and virtual audience.
WP5 has been dedicated primarily to disseminating research findings via different routes, including the advancement of scientific publications, the promotion of the action via social networks and interviews with renowned international newspapers.
