Arguably, security is a contested concept. Conventionally, national security that is state-centred and military-oriented has been predominant in the discourse on security.
BY JUICHIRO TANABE | APRIL 24, 2012
However, the concept of human security, which puts individual human agency at the centre, has raised its profile academically and practically. Following this emerging reformulation and expansion of the concept of security, the aim of this book edited by Malcolm McIntosh and Alan Hunter is to make a comprehensive and extensive analysis of human security in terms of its concept and practical application.
In the foreword, Mehrnaz Mostafavi states,
“while national security still remains pivotal to peace and stability, the need for an expanded paradigm of security that: draws attention to the multitude of threats that cut across different aspects of human life; that concentrates on the security of the individuals, their protection and empowerment; that highlights the interface between the lack of security, development and human rights; and that promotes a new integrated, coordinated and people-centred approach is also underlined by national and global challenges.”
To this end, five sections with 16 chapters constitute the book, in which various contributors analyse human security from respectively distinct angles to illustrate the multiplicity and diversity of security we have to address.
