‘Security from Below’ in Contexts of Chronic Violence

Abstract

At the same time that the field of security moves away from traditional state‐centred perspectives towards a human‐centred understanding of security, contemporary states seem to be incapable of protecting people from increasingly complex forms of insecurity. Inadequate and inefficient public responses have contributed to the erosion of the idea of security as a public good, especially in contexts of chronic violence. In this article, we suggest that in these contexts 'security from below’could help analytically and in practice to humanise security provision by focusing attention on the lived experiences of insecurity, by encouraging participation in debates about the local and universal values that should inform state responses and by enabling people to demand a people‐centred but publicly delivered form of security. Rethinking security from below is not a suggestion for replacing the state; it is instead an attempt to increase the capacity of communities and local level actors to articulate their demands for better security provision based on agreed norms and under democratic principles in which security must be at the heart of all struggles for equitable development and social justice.

(Re)pensar a las mujeres en la violencia: ni víctimas pasivas ni terribles monstruos

“…Asimismo, estudiosas del campo de la violencia y la seguridad humana han señalado cómo las violencias que suceden en el ámbito privado están conectadas con aquellas que tienen lugar en el ámbito público (Colak y Pearce, 2009;Adams, 2011). Desde este punto de vista, la violencia intrafamiliar y comunitaria presenta encadenamientos con la violencia que se da en el ámbito público y en los espacios político-institucionales, contribuyendo así a su reproducción.…”

Güncel Enerji̇ Güvenli̇ği̇ Tartişmalari: Doğu Akdeni̇z Örneği̇

“…Dahası, akademisyenler sosyal eleştiri için ilhamı yeni ve beklenmedik yerlerde bulabildiğinden, onları birleştiren eleştirel (Mutimer, Grayson, & Beier, 2013, s. 3) çerçevede çeşitlilik gösterir. Güvenlik alanının geleneksel devlet merkezli bakış açısından insan merkezli bir güvenlik anlayışına doğru kaydığı günümüzde, çağdaş devletler insanları giderek karmaşıklaşan güvensizlik biçimlerinden korumakta zorlanmaktadır (Colak & Pearce, 2009). Eleştirel güvenlik kuramlarının temel çıkış noktasında bu, "insani güvenlik" (human security) probleminin çözümü ile ilgilidir ancak çözüm önerileri, Marksist ya da feminist ya da konstrüktivist veya post-yapısalcı eleştirilerden türeyebilmektedir.…”

The Two Faces of Security in Hybrid Political Orders: A Framework for Analysis and Research

“…Hybrid or informal security and justice institutions in unsecured borderlands are sometimes regarded as credible alternatives to failing, corrupt or oppressive state secu-rity provision. They are, however, incredibly diverse, including traditional justice institutions, local defence forces, community policing bodies (Baker 2008), paramilitaries, private security companies, assorted vigilante groups (Buur 2008;Meagher 2007) and community-led peace initiatives (Colak and Pearce 2009). Isima's (2007) study of nonstate security provision in Nigeria and South Africa suggests there may be contradictory relationships between informal security provision and "civil militarism", when providers alternate between being protectors and oppressors of poor and vulnerable people.…”