Directed by Pascal Vennesson
Security is a multifaceted and contested notion widely used in scholarly, policy and media debates. Security is sometimes specified, as with ‘national security’, ‘state security’, ‘human security’, ‘comprehensive security’, ‘environmental security’ and the like. In spite of, or thanks to, its semantic ambiguity, the notion of security is at the core of current policy developments in Europe and worldwide, in fields such as international relations, defense and security policies, justice and home affairs, research, industrial competitiveness, etc. Different analytical and normative perspectives are at stake when trying to answer complex and sensitive questions such as how to resolve violent conflicts, how to fight terrorism, or whether to go to war.
Since 2004, EUI faculty, fellows and researchers, as well as guest scholars and practitioners from other institutions, working on various aspects of security have met in the Security Working Group (SWG) to discuss their research, exchange ideas, pool knowledge and enhance understanding of security issues. Participants regularly present draft of unpublished papers and chapters that are circulated to all registered members on the mailing list.
The Security Working Group provides a forum for interdisciplinary debates, through presentation of work in progress as well as brainstorming on emerging issues of common interest. Expected outcomes of the group include the cross-fertilisation of research in progress at the EUI-RSCAS, a contribution to the strengthening of social science expertise in the field of security, analytical inputs to public and policy debate.
During the past few years we have discussed issues like: the relations between security and democracy, military strategy and ways of war, the securitization of migration, the changing boundaries of internal and external security, civil/military relations, budget and finance of security and defense policy, the role of technology and expertise as well as new forms of peacekeeping and peacemaking.
From October to April, the SWG meets biweekly every other Tuesday, 14h-16h in the Convento seminar room.
Apart from receiving the papers for each session, subscribers to the SWG mailing list also receive information about job and post-doctoral opportunities, conferences, projects and other relevant news in the security field.
The founding directors of the Security Working Group were Angela Liberatore and Pascal Vennesson.
To register for the SWG mailing list please send an email to Sarah.Beck@eui.eu