4409080: FU_Security and the Economy of Fear. A View from the Social Sciences

Beschreibung

Among the multifarious transformation processes that can presently be observed worldwide, there is probably hardly any phenomenon that is as momentous as the one having to do with questions of 'security'. The so-called 'war against terrorism 'and the boundary-drawing reactions against refugee movements to Europe are just two examples for the increasing thematization of threat scenarios against which security measures are said to be necessary. Against the backdrop of readings of classical texts on 'cultures of fear', 'security' and 'surveillance', the course deals with a broad variety of empirical examples of security practices, in so doing, putting particular emphasis on what has been called 'securitization' - that is, acts which declare an issue to be a 'security issue', thus (allegedly) putting it outside of the political realm. Two of the topics that will also be dealt with extensively is (a) the commodification of security provision in the form of private security companies and (b) the spatial, technological and architectural aspects of security measures.

Lernergebnisse

• Knowledge of the topics, concepts and theories dealt with in the course
• Competence in interpreting empirical data by using the theories introduced in the course
• Competence in critically reflecting on and weighing up contrasting theoretical positions
• Competence in developing and discussing social scientific lines of argumentation
• Training in presenting the contents of social scientific texts to fellow students
• Capacity to write scientific text on BSc and MA level

Lehrmethoden

• Lecture elements in combination with student presentations and text-based discussions within class

Literatur

Abrahamsen, Rita & Michael C. Williams 2009. Security Beyond the State: Global Security Assemblages in International Politics. International Political Sociology 3: 1-17.

Bigo, Didier 2002. Security and Immigration: Toward a Critique of the Governmentality of Unease. Alternatives: Global, Local, Political 27: 63-92.

Boyle, Philip & Kevin D. Haggerty 2009. Spectacular Security: Mega-Events and the Security Complex. International Political Sociology 3: 257-274.

Despard, Erin 2012. Cultivating Security: Plants in the Urban Landscape. Space and Culture 15 (2): 151-163.

Goldstein, Daniel M. 2010. Toward a Critical Anthropology of Security. Current Anthropology 51 (4): 487-517.

Goold, Benjamin, Ian Loader & Angelica Thumala 2010 Consuming security? Tools for a sociology of security consumption Theoretical Criminology 14 (1): 3-30

Kirsch, Thomas G. 2016. On the difficulties of speaking out against security. Anthropology Today 32 (5): 5-7.

Lakoff, Andrew & Stephen Collier (eds) 2008. Biosecurity Interventions: Global Health and Security in Question. New York: Columbia University Press.

Linke, Uli & Smith Danielle Taana (eds) 2009. Cultures of Fear. New York: Pluto Press.

Low, Setha 2003. Behind the Gates: Life, Security, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Fortress America: The New American Dream. Routledge Chapman & Hall.

Masco, Joseph 2002 Lie Detectors: On Secrets and Hypersecurity in Los Alamos. Public Culture 14 (3): 441-467.

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