‘Familiness’ diversification and recognition: intergenerational changes in mobile ‘ndrangheta families in Australia

Abstract

Mafia-type families, envisioned as intergenerational (criminal) dynasties or family-based criminal groups, are shaped by recognition in the ‘underworld’ and affected by changes in their familiness. In Australia, mafia-type families or dynasties connected to the Calabrian ‘ndrangheta have been successful at exploiting licit and illicit opportunities across generations and places also thanks to their recognition as well as reputation. In this article we explore how mafia-type families or dynasties experience familiness diversification, including intergenerational changes, transculturation, and external factors, and how this relates to their recognition in the underworld, by other criminal groups or by law enforcement. Based on document analysis and interviews, and building on a new analytical framework, we present four ideal-types mafia-type families in Australia: gatekeepers, holdovers, newcomers, and vanishers. This is the first study that considers how mafia organisations evolve in their most fundamental forms abroad, and some implications of such evolution go against mainstream understandings of mafia mobility studies.