Christina Jerne, "Opposition by Imitation: The Economics of Italian Anti-Mafia Activism" (U Minnesota Press, 2025)

Nov 19, 2025

Dr. Christina Jerne, an Associate Professor and author, dives into the world of anti-mafia activism in Italy, exploring how ordinary citizens are resisting criminal economies. She discusses the evolution of activism mimicking mafia strategies while creating alternative economies, such as 'mafia-free' products and critical tourism. Drawing from her ethnographic research, Christina reveals the political implications of these actions, highlighting how they redefine collective efforts against mafia influence. She also previews her upcoming work focusing on alternative economic models centered on well-being.

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INSIGHT

Mafia-Free Products Reveal Economic Resistance

Christina Jerne discovered ‘mafia-free’ pasta and other products, which revealed economic resistance strategies beyond protest.
These enterprises create non-mafioso livelihoods by reorganizing trade, work, and marketing to refuse mafia relations.

INSIGHT

Mafia As Paralegal Governance

Jerne reframes 'mafia' as a paralegal governance that leverages legitimate institutions and social relations.
Understanding mafia as pluralized oppressive relationships helps apply lessons beyond Italy.

INSIGHT

Economy Is A Political Site Of Action

Economic actions (who you pay, who you trade with) are inherently political and not merely resources for politics.
Jerne uses Gibson-Graham to show diverse non-capitalist economic practices are sites of political decision.

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For more than 150 years, Italy has been home to a resilient and evolving resistance against the pervasive influence of mafias. While these criminal organizations are renowned for their vast international business enterprises, the collective actions taken to oppose them are less known. In Opposition by Imitation: The Economics of Italian Anti-Mafia Activism (U Minnesota Press, 2025), Dr. Christina Jerne explores anti-mafia activism, revealing how ordinary people resist, counter, and prevent criminal economies from proliferating.

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork among anti-mafia alliances in Campania, Sicily, and other parts of Italy, Dr. Jerne details a particular aspect of mafia activities: providing cash relief and other forms of patronage to individuals and groups. Her research shows how activism has evolved to imitate this sustaining role. Activists are increasingly challenging mafia control both by creating alternative economies—from producing food that interrupts mafia labor practices to organizing tourism that supports anti-mafia hospitality—and by subversively adopting business tactics similar to the mafia’s to compete with their social influence and legitimacy. Exposing the political implications of this mimetic opposition, Dr. Jerne points to its potential impact on crime prevention and criminalization, both in Italy and globally.

Opposition by Imitation shows how these modern-day Robin Hoods are redefining collective action, taking what was controlled by the mafias and returning it to the collective. This contentious economic turn, against the backdrop of broader social movements, reveals significant political possibilities afforded by imitative opposition.

This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.

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