The 'western-centrism' of security studies: 'blind spot' or constitutive practice?
Author
Bilgin, P.
Date
2010-12Source Title
Security Dialogue
Print ISSN
0967-0106
Publisher
Sage Publications Ltd.
Volume
41
Issue
6
Pages
615 - 622
Language
English
Type
ArticleItem Usage Stats
158
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889
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Abstract
Unlike some other staples of security studies that do not even register the issue, Buzan & Hansen's (2009) The Evolution of International Security Studies unambiguously identifies 'Western-centrism' as a problem. This article seeks to make the point, however, that treating heretofore-understudied insecurities (such as those experienced in the non-West) as a 'blind spot' of the discipline may prevent us from fully recognizing the ways in which such 'historical absences' have been constitutive of security both in theory and in practice. Put differently, the discipline's 'Western-centric' character is no mere challenge for students of security studies. The 'historical absence' from security studies of non-Western insecurities and approaches has been a 'constitutive practice' that has shaped (and continues to shape) both the discipline and subjects and objects of security in different parts of the world.