Narratives of Crime, Corruption and Strongmen across the World

Mafia Raj: The Rule of Bosses in South Asia is a fascinating collection of seven individual ethnographic studies, interwoven by the authors into an overarching narrative which builds into a theory of the ‘art of bossing’. It is structured around seven case studies, each focusing on a particular type of actor ranging from the aspiring boss to the actual boss. In the book they have been identified chapter wise as rookie, bluffer, henchmen, adjudicator, godfather, legend and the female boss as Lady Dabang. The work begins with defining the term ‘Mafia Raj’ and how it has become a common terminology across South Asia. The bosses are defined as mafiaesque characters that often possess charismatic authority. To capture this complex reality, the book provides an anthropological framework to examine the workings of bosses in action in seven locations in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The approach is ethnographic and grounded in lived experiences with an attempt to theorize the ‘art of bossing’.