Opposition By Imitation: The Economics of Italian Anti-Mafia Activism.

Mafias are now renowned for their international business enterprises, ranging from the trade of drugs to waste. What is less known, is that for over one hundred- and fifty-years Italy has been bubbling with collective action that opposes mafias. Since its manifestation in the 19^th century, anti-mafia activism has undergone many changes. Most recently, activists have started opposing mafias by mimicking their entrepreneurial activities. Activists increasingly compete with them for social consensus, and try to beat them at their own game. Drawing on a decade of ethnographic work, this paper introduces three different forms of mimicry that are tactically used to oppose mafias, questioning the implications that this mimetic opposition might have for broader questions of crime prevention and criminalisation.