The Politics of Protection ― Sites of Insecurity and Political Agency

This new book shows how from the end of the Cold War, the security agenda has been transformed and redefined, academically and politically.

It focuses on the theme of protection. It moves away from the dominant question of whom or what is threatening to the crucial questions of who is to be protected, and in the case of conflicting claims, who has the capacity to define whose needs prevail.

It also poses the question of political agency in relation to some of the most significant questions raised in relation to the governance of insecurity and protection in the contemporary world. The authors identify and explore issues that challenge or raise a number of questions about the traditional notion that states are to protect their citizens through retaining a monopoly over the legitimate use of violence.

Jef Huysmans is Lecturer in Government and Politics at The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK. Andrew Dobson is Professor and Director of Research at the Department of Politics and Government at The Open University. Raia Prokhovnik is Senior Lecturer in Government and Politics, also at The Open University.