Critical Security History: (De)securitisation, ontological security, and insecure memories

Abstract

This article makes a case for incorporating the concept of ‘Critical Security History’ (CSH) into security studies. While history plays a powerful role in a cornucopia of security stories, we contend that it often goes unnoticed in scholarly research and teaching. Against this backdrop, we present a detailed guide to study how history is told and enacted in non-linear ways. To do this, the article outlines how CSH can contribute to securitisation and ontological security studies. As shown, this lens casts a new light on the legacies of (de)securitisation processes and how they are commemorated. It also illustrates that ontological security studies have only begun to call into question the concept of historicity. Working through these observations, the article marshals insights from Halvard Leira's notion of ‘engaged historical amateurism’ to entice scholars interested in ‘doing’ CSH. While acknowledging that this research agenda is hard to achieve, our study of the 2012 Sarajevo Red Line project helps to illustrate the added value of trying to ‘do’ CSH in theory and in practice. We end with some reflections for future research and continued conversations.

Returning to the roots of ontological security: insights from the existentialist anxiety literature

“…This common starting point notwithstanding, IR research on ontological security is characterized by increasing diversity with constructivist (Berenskoetter, 2014; Berenskoetter and Giegerich, 2010; Flockhart, 2016), post-structuralist (Browning, 2019; Eberle, 2019; Kinnvall, 2004, 2018), and post-colonial (Agius, 2017; Shani, 2017; Untalan, 2020; Vieira, 2018) approaches being developed. Recently, this internal heterogeneity seems to have prompted a terminological shift away from Ontological Security Theory (OST), a label that might be taken to imply a single standardized theory, toward OSS (Donnelly and Steele, 2019; Steele, 2019; Steele and Homolar, 2019) as a way to better capture the plurality of approaches. Irrespective of the precise denomination, however, ontological security has proved fruitful for addressing a wide variety of theoretical and empirical concerns.…”

From subjects to objects: honor flights and US ontological insecurity

“…But the question here is, once again, a twist on the long-held critical security studies maxim, 46 whose ontological security is at stake and being managed here? 47…”

A tale of two currencies: talking about money and (De)Securitising moves in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum

“…Most recently, Ric Neo documented the securitizing moves undertaken by the Democratic Party to frame President Donald J. Trump's presidency as a "threat to national security" (Neo 2020, 2). Drawing on the idea of a game some scholars contend that securitization and desecuritization process may unfold at the same time (Austin and Beaulieu-Brossard 2018;Donnelly and Steele 2019). Others call for us to study , […] instances in which desecuritization and resilience arise before securitywhen securitization is still brewing" (Bourbeau and Vuori 2015, 255).…”