The national picture: The reconfiguration of sovereignty, the normalization of emergency and the rise to prominence of urban security in Italy
| Author | Francesca Menichelli |
| DOI | 10.1177/1477370813481134 |
| Published date | 01 May 2015 |
| Date | 01 May 2015 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
European Journal of Criminology
2015, Vol. 12(3) 263 –276
© The Author(s) 2013
Reprints and permissions:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/1477370813481134
euc.sagepub.com
The national picture:
The reconfiguration of
sovereignty, the normalization
of emergency and the rise to
prominence of urban security
in Italy
Francesca Menichelli
University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy
Abstract
This paper argues that in Italy the notion of urban security is being used to shift sovereignty from
national to local authorities. This has been made possible thanks to the political and legislative
processes taking place in the country in the past decade, which have opened up a space of
autonomy where local authorities could play a proactive role in the provision of security to
citizens. This is exemplified by the flows of public funding that have been made available for
security-related projects throughout the country. Finally, the article concludes by arguing that the
spread of concerns over the security of Italian cities has not automatically led to the securitization
of urban space in Italian cities.
Keywords
Governance, Italy, sovereignty, state of emergency, urban security
Introduction
In Italy, the notion of urban security gained currency relatively late. In contrast to what
happened in other countries, organized crime and domestic terrorism had long monopo-
lized the attention of authorities and citizens alike, with feelings of insecurity generally
directed into a collective demand for greater participation (Pavarini, 1994).
With conservative forces reluctant to engage in matters of criminal policy, it was left
to the Left to shape policy to include marginalized groups – offenders included – and to
Corresponding author:
Francesca Menichelli, Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via
Bicocca degli Arcimboldi 8, 20126 Milan, Italy.
Email: f.menichelli@campus.unimib.it
481134EUC12310.1177/1477370813481134European Journal of CriminologyMenichelli
2013
Article
To continue reading
Request your trial