Résumé
Although debates on the notions of trust & social capital did not reach their height until the 1990s, these developments have certain roots in scientific literature. Proof of this is provided in one of the major sources of this line of research, the monograph of a village in southern Italy at the end of the 1950s by the American political scientist, E. C. Banfield, which clearly anticipated the terms of current debates. This article has set itself the task of summarizing this work, highlighting its contributions, limits & weaknesses, & attesting to its posterity. Adapted from the source document.