Mafia
The Prototypical Alien Conspiracy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5845073 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dwight C Smith (State University of New York at Albany, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1976 |
| Volume | 423 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 75-88 |
| Publication date | 1976-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-7162 • E-ISSN: 1552-3349 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/000271627642300108 |
| OpenAlex | W2154425759 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
The attractiveness of alien conspiracy theories in American public opinion stretches back to the early days of the Republic. "Mafia" has been the name of one such theory. When placed in context with other conspiracy theories, such as the Bavarian Illuminati scare of 1798- 1799 and the Red Scare of 1919-1920, the reasons for emergence of a "Mafia" theory in 1890-91, and again in 1946-1963, become clear. Contemporary public opinion regarding crime is heavily influenced by the post-World War II resurgence of "Mafia" claims, though the evidence behind them is questionable. The role of "Mafia" as a force in public policy is clear, however, and events of the last decade suggest that the consequent shifts in legal strategies, and an increasing sense of injustice generally, have been greater threats to American society than the presumed alien conspiracy behind the anti-Mafia policies
Mafias, Criminology of
The paradoxes of organized crime
Mafias als organisierte Dritte. Mafias as organized third parties
History and the Study of Organized Crime
Myth, allegiances, and the study of social control
Fear and Loathing in the Homeland Security State
Recent Literature on Organized Crime
Vivir en calma
| Citations per year | 0.17 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1978 - 2025 (48) |
| Highly cited | No |