The Anthropology of Security

A collection of anthropological studies which reveals the vast, overwhelming presence of security systems across modern Europe.

In a post-Cold War world of political unease and economic crisis, processes of securitisation are transforming nation-states, their citizens and non-citizens in profound ways.

The book shows how contemporary Europe is now home to a vast security industry which uses biometric identification systems, CCTV and quasi-military techniques to police migrants and disadvantaged neighbourhoods. This is the first collection of anthropological studies of security with a particular but not exclusive emphasis on Europe.

The Anthropology of Security draws together studies on the lived experiences of security and policing from the perspective of those most affected in their everyday lives. The anthropological perspectives in this volume stretch from the frontlines of policing and counter-terrorism to border control.

List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Series Preface
Introduction: The Anthropology of Security: Prospects, Retrospects and Aims
1. Sarkozy and Roma: Performing Securitisation - Marion Demossier
2. Video-Surveillance and the Political Use of Discretionary Power in the Name of Security and Defence - Catarina Frois
3. Location, Isolation and Disempowerment: The Swift Proliferation of Security Discourse among Policy Professionals - Greg Feldman
4. Compensating (In)Security: Anthropological Perspectives on Internal Security - Alexandra Schwell
5. Petty States of Exception: The Contemporary Policing of the Urban Poor - Didier Fassin
6. Counter-Terrorism in European Airports - Mark Maguire
7. Whose Security? The Deportation of Foreign-National Offenders from the U.K. - Ines Hasselberg
8. Grey Zones of Illegality: Inhuman Conditions in Receiving Irregular Migrants in Greece - Jutta Lauth Bacas
Conclusions
Afterword: Security: Encounters, Misunderstanding and Possible Collaborations - Didier Bigo
Contributors
Index