The future of critical security studies: Ethics and the politics of security

Abstract

Critical security studies' has come to occupy a prominent place within the lexicon of International Relations and security studies over the past two decades. While disagreement exists about the boundaries of this sub-discipline or indeed some of its central commitments, in this article we argue that we can indeed talk about a 'critical security studies' project orienting around three central themes. The first is a fundamental critique of traditional (realist) approaches to security; the second is a concern with the politics of security -the question of what security does politically; while the third is with the ethics of security -the question of what progressive practices look like regarding security. We suggest that it is the latter two of these concerns with the politics and ethics of security that ultimately define the 'critical security studies' project. Taking the so-called Welsh School and Copenhagen School frameworks as archetypal examples of 'critical security studies' (and its limits), in this article we argue that despite its promises, scholarship in this tradition has generally fallen short of providing us with a sophisticated, convincing account of either the politics or the ethics of security. At stake in the failure to provide such an account is the fundamental question of whether we need a 'critical security studies' at all.

Challenges of Central European Security: Critical Insights

“…One of the routes to this end might be in Habermasian politics, in open dialogue, creating the symbolic and material possibilities of such a dialogue, and broadening the relationship between deliberation and its outcomes (Browning and McDonald 2013;Wyn Jones 1999). On the other hand, we should be wary of overlooking contextual specifics.…”

“…As such, the conflict over the meaning of security has been related to a normative problem: is it possible to make security in a positive way, or is the point to distance oneself and resist its oppressive logic to achieve emancipation? (Browning and McDonald 2013;Nunes 2012;. The adherents of the latter approach have suggested different politics out of security (Aradau 2008;Neocleous 2008;Peoples 2011).…”

Safety and Human Vulnerability: A Philosophical Consideration

“…Since 1976, the concept has been used in the context of professional relations, human development, violence and crime, social conditions and discourse on developing countries. In ISBN 978-93-86878-09-0 10th International Conference on Language, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (ICLHESS-18) Bali (Indonesia) Jan. [12][13]2018 But it is not only about presenting and discussing the variety and content of concepts of human vulnerability in use both in theory and in practice. The point is to build a concept that can to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between safety and human vulnerability.…”

The dance of militarisation: a feminist security studies take on ‘the political’

“…In an article titled 'The future of critical security studies' Christopher Browning and Matt McDonald (2011) maps the critical security studies 'project' around three themes, out of which the latter two are considered part of 'the future': as a critique of realist approaches to security and its limited focus on states as political actors and security as military security; the politics of security (what security does politically); and, last, the ethics of security (Browning and McDonald 2011). The second theme of the politics of security, in which feminist contributions are recognised, 'encourages reflection on the role of representations of security in encouraging sets of policy discourses, legitimating the roles of particular actors or indeed constituting political communities in particular ways ' (2011: 238).…”