In the Eye of the Beholder

Abstract

Security is the continuously present topic in several academic disciplines, though in some of them it is more dominant than in others. The communication between disciplines is also quite sparse, therefore the book edited by Philippe Bourbeau is a timely contribution to the broadening of understanding of security for all the academics working on the issue. The possibility of creating a dialogue between the disciplines is taken seriously by all the authors of the book’s chapters, and thus presents a great map of understanding of security across nine disciplines: such “natural” ones for studies of security as international relations (further – IR), to philosophy, anthropology, geography, sociology, psychology, international political economy, criminology and international law. The four questions that were raised regarding security are quite well answered in each of the chapters. These questions look into the concept, dominant theories, questions orienting research on security and strengths and weaknesses of the discipline when it comes to studying security. (p.xi)