Vigilantes, the Law and Popular Culture. The Italian Experience

The chapter provides a historical and cultural interpretation of the Italian tradition of private justice and vigilantism. From a socio-legal and criminological perspective, the study of private revenge narratives contributes to a better understanding of the debate on private justice that has taken place in Italy in recent years. The first part outlines some examples of the different patterns of private justice, whether individual or in groups, which can be traced in Italian history from Unification to the present day. It also tries to link these tendencies with the wider political, social and legal context in which actual vigilante justice occurs. The second part reviews the themes of vendetta and do-it-yourself justice in Italian popular culture, from literature and theater to cinema and television. These historical and cultural evidence show that in Italian society there has been a certain fluidity in the transition from legal forms of individual self-defense to illegal forms of revenge and vigilantism. The quest for private justice seems to be nourished by the double crisis of the law and social ties but is depicted as a solitary and meaningless act. For Italian literature, cinema and television, the vigilante hero is ultimately a loser, and this is the most striking difference with respect to the American popular culture.