Vivere di politica nel Sud d'Italia

Living «off» politics in the South of Italy
By analysing several significant phenomena of the social, political and institutional life of the Italian Mezzogiorno, this work aims to use the well known Weberian concept of living «off» politics in a different way from the usual one. Through this concept the German sociologist refers to people who get their sustenance and remuneration from political associations and institutions, while the paper applies the concept not only individuals and groups but to a whole society that depends upon politics for its working. The conflicts and contradictions that this imply – both today and possibly in the future – are highlighted in the paper.