Mafia ubiquity: ethnography of radicalisation in 'ndrangheta transnational families and communities from Calabria to TikTok

• In Event: Narrative Criminology 2: Gangs, organized crime and prisons

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of "mafia ubiquity" through dark anthropology and narrative criminology lenses, focusing on the radicalisation processes within transnational families and communities associated with the 'ndrangheta, the mafia organisation from Calabria, extending from Calabria to digital platforms like TikTok. It examines how the intertwining of translocal and transnational identities shapes the behaviours, beliefs, social dynamics and narratives of ‘ndrangheta members and their wider transnational Calabrian families as they navigate multiple cultural contexts.

This study analyses narratives in a series of TikTok accounts from within or around Calabrian families associated to the ‘ndrangheta primarily in Italy, but with ramifications in Australia, Germany and Canada, cross-checking the virtual ethnography with data from qualitative research (in Australia and Italy). The research underscores the role of digital communication in fostering connections across borders, facilitating not only the ubiquity of criminal groups and their social capital through families in the diaspora, but also the radicalisation of younger generations exposed to both familial legacies and contemporary social media influences. This study explores the dual pressures of maintaining traditional values while adapting to new environments.Through a nuanced understanding of translocality and transnationalism, this paper reveals how the 'ndrangheta's presence in various locales, amplified and supported by specific narratives in platforms like TikTok, contributes to the perpetuation of its (quasi) ideology and practices, ultimately reshaping and anchoring the identity of its members in a globalized world. The findings offer critical insights into the complexities of contemporary organised crime, identity formation of both members and people close to them, and the socio-cultural factors that drive radicalisation within mafia communities.

Author

• Anna Sergi, University of Essex