Culture and Security: Symbolic Power and the Politics of International Security

This book traces the transformations in European security since the end of the Cold War, analysing NATO and the EU enlargement and the impact of this on the reconfiguration of European security. The author examines the role of culture in contemporary security at both a theoretical and practical level and provides a critical overview of the ways in which culture has been theorised in security studies. Drawing upon the work of Pierre Bordieu, the author develops a theoretical framework for the analysis of security practice to provide a fuller understanding of the relationship between culture, security and strategy.

Michael C. Williams is Professor of International Politics in the Department of International Politics, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK.