The only introduction to critical security studies to take a question-centred approach, with a unique emphasis on equipping students with the knowledge and skills to think, analyse, and debate using critical perspectives. Security Studies: Critical Perspectives introduces the analysis of security from critical and interdisciplinary perspectives. Taking a student-centred approach to understanding contemporary security themes and cases, it
provides an accessible set of analytic steps so that students develop the critical thinking skills and confidence to ask important questions about security and our worlds in contemporary politics. Common-sense security
assumptions that reproduce forms of oppression and domination are revealed and their justifications decentred while perspectives inclusive of class, gender and sexualities, ethnicity and race, religion, disability, culture and ideology, political belonging, and the global south are introduced. In doing so, the authors combine critical analysis with concrete empirical issues that connect students to the social and political worlds around them. Five foundation chapters
introducing students to key concepts and methodologies Fifteen thematic chapters, written by leading security analysts exploring key themes in security
Detailed illustrative cases for each thematic chapter Accessible short introductions, in the online resources, to some of the major theoretical approaches in critical security studies Online resources Extensive cross-references to encourage students to link elements, draw connections and identify similar logics, questions, and approaches. Digital formats and resources
Security Studies: Critical Perspectives is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats, and is supported by online resources. USBLThe e-book offers a mobile experience
and convenient access along with additional case studies, introductions to theoretical approaches, a bank of useful web links, and questions for further reflection.BEUE
Industry Reviews
I have been waiting for a long time for an introduction to security studies that provides a clear set of tools for critically analysing security as a political practice with consequences for living in common. Xavier Guillaume and Kyle Grayson have delivered just that. Security Studies: Critical Perspectives is a fantastic teaching resource that will help students and scholars to methodically interrogate the bewildering multiplicity of security registers and issues today. * Dr. Jef Huysmans, Professor of International Politics, University of London *
This is a sophisticated new textbook that approaches students as fellow thinkers. The content is designed to help the students develop their critical thinking skills and be able to offer their own independent analysis of developing events. Highly recommended as an introduction to the politics of security in its multiple facets. * Dr. Pinar Bilgin, Professor, International Relations, Bilken University, Turkey *
Essential reading for anyone looking for a guide that helps them choose their own routes to navigate a sea of insecurity. Routes that lead us to new questions and, contrary to those of colonial navigation, that challenge the inevitability of violence and inequalities which are routinely authorized in the name of security for the few. * Dr. Marta Fernandez, Associate Professor, The Institute of International Relations, The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil *
Security Studies: Critical Perspectives unpacks the politics of security with finesse. It debunks the conventional understanding of security, unsettles the predominant narratives, enables the readers to raise profound questions, and offers a holistic treatise anchored in critical insights. Lucidly written, elegantly articulated and effectively communicated, the book is a must-read for all those who are grappling with the critical interpretations of security. * Dr. Madhan Mohan Jaganath, Professor, School of International Studies, Jawaharal Nehru University, India *
This is an innovative and comprehensive introduction to the field, asking important critical questions about security. * Dr Elisabetta Brighi, Lecturer in International Relations, University of Westminster, UK *
An excellent introductory resource for students who are fresh to the field of critical security studies, focusing on a wide range of cases and topics that together encourage a more nuanced understanding of security in today's complex global environment. * Dr Kiran Phull, Lecturer in International Relations, King's College London, UK *
