Contemporary Security Studies

With unrivalled coverage of a wide range of issues - from terrorism, inter-state conflict and nuclear deterrence, to environmental security, health, and transnational crime - Contemporary Security Studies is the definitive introduction to Security Studies. Bringing together contributions from leading scholars, it provides a student-friendly guide to traditional and critical theoretical approaches, as well as the most important contemporary issues that dominate the modern security field.

The sixth edition has been substantially updated, with significantly revised chapters on Securitization and Transnational Crime, and coverage of recent developments - including the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and forced migration - incorporated throughout. A brand-new chapter on popular culture and security provides an innovative overview and cutting-edge analysis of the role that popular culture plays in shaping and understanding security-related processes, as well as its place in the study of international relations, with examples ranging from Star Trek and Game of Thrones, to Disney cartoons and K-pop.

Students are encouraged throughout to question their own preconceptions of Security Studies, and to use their own judgement to critically evaluate key approaches and ideas. To help them achieve this, each chapter contains 'key ideas' boxes, 'think point' boxes, and case studies, the latter of which demonstrate the real-world applications, relevance, and implications of each theory.

Digital formats and resources
The sixth edition is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats.

The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access, along with functionality tools, navigation features, and links that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks

In addition to helpful learning features within the book, the text is accompanied by online resources designed to help students to take their learning further.

For students:
- Explore relevant security issues in greater depth with additional online case studies
- Test your understanding of the key ideas and themes in each chapter with self-marking multiple-choice questions
- Expand your knowledge of the subject with web links to additional reliable sources
- Test your knowledge of key terminology using the flashcard glossary

For registered lecturers:
- Use the adaptable PowerPoint slides as the basis for lecture presentations, or as hand-outs in class

Alan Collins, Swansea University

Alan Collins is a Professor in International Relations at Swansea University

1. Introduction, Alan Collins
Part 1: Approaches to Security
2. Realism, Charles L. Glaser
3. Liberalism and Liberal Internationalism, Patrick Morgan, with Alan Collins
4. Historical Materialism, Eric Herring
5. Peace Studies, Paul Rogers
6. Social Constructivism, Christine Agius
7. Critical Security Studies: A Schismatic History, David Mutimer, with Derek Verbakel
8. Critical Security Studies II - Narratives of Security: Other Stories, Other Actors, Marshall Beier
9. Postcolonialism, Mark Laffey and Suthaharan Nadarajah
10. Human Security, Randolph B. Persaud
11. Gender, Caroline Kennedy and Sophia Dingli
12. Securitization, Catarina Thomson and Stephane Baele
13. Popular Culture, Galia Press-Barnathan
Part 2: Deepening and Broadening Security
14. Military Security, Mike Sheehan
15. Regime Security, Andreas Krieg
16. Societal Security, Paul Roe
17. Environmental Security, Geoffrey Dabelko
18. Economic Security, Gary Shiffman
19. Development and Security, Nana K. Poku and Jacqueline Therkelsen
Part 3: Traditional and Non-Traditional Security
20. Coercive Diplomacy: Countering War-Threatening Crimes and Armed Conflicts, Peter Viggo Jakobsen
21. Weapons of Mass Destruction and Proliferation, James J. Wirtz
22. Terrorism, James Lutz and Brenda Lutz
23. Humanitarian Intervention, Alex Bellamy and Stephen McLoughlin
24. Energy Security, Doug Stokes and Sam Raphael
25. The Weapons Trade, Suzette Grillot
26. Health, Stefan Elbe and Eva Hilberg
27. Transnational Crime, Nathan Jones
28. Cyber-security, Myriam Dunn Cavelty
29. Security Studies Past, Present & Future, Barry Buzan and Ole Wæver