International Political Sociology (IPS) is an interdisciplinary field and set of approaches at the crossroads of
international relations theory
International relations theory is the study of international relations (IR) from a theoretical perspective. It seeks to explain causal and constitutive effects in international politics. Ole Holsti describes international relations theories as a ...
and other disciplines such as
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
,
geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
and
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
. It is structured around initiatives such as the journal ''
International Political Sociology International Political Sociology (IPS) is an interdisciplinary field and set of approaches at the crossroads of international relations theory and other disciplines such as sociology, geography and anthropology. It is structured around initiatives ...
'' and the network Doingips, as well as scholars such as
Didier Bigo Didier Bigo (born 31 August 1956) is a French academic from Lille and Professor of International Relations at King's College London and at Sciences Po, Paris. He has authored two books, ''Polices en réseaux. L'expérience européenne'' (1996) and ' ...
, Anastassia Tsoukala, Ayse Ceyhan or Elspeth Guild.
Security studies
The IPS approach to
security studies
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Security studies, also known as international security studies, is an academic sub-field within the wider discipline of international relations that studies organized violence, military conflict, national security, and international s ...
is often also referred to as Paris School of security studies within the discipline, and is closely associated with the journal ''
Cultures et Conflits
''Cultures et Conflits'' is an international relations journal associated with the Paris School of security studies
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Security studies, also known as international security studies, is an academic sub-field within the wider disciplin ...
''. According to
Didier Bigo Didier Bigo (born 31 August 1956) is a French academic from Lille and Professor of International Relations at King's College London and at Sciences Po, Paris. He has authored two books, ''Polices en réseaux. L'expérience européenne'' (1996) and ' ...
an IPS approach to security argues that both security and insecurity are the result of an (in)securitization process based on a speech act calling for a politics of exception and a general frame linked to the existence of transnational bureaucracies and private agents managing insecurity that compete to frame security issues. Bigo further argues that this (in)securitization process is embedded in the use of technology in every day practices. IPS approaches to security criticize of the characterization of security studies as a sub-discipline of
international relations
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...
and the association of security with survival. IPS challenges the Copenhagen School's understanding of the securitization process arguing that securitization is not the result of a successful speech act but mundane bureaucratic decisions, use of technologies and Weberian routines of rationalization. The International Political Sociology approach to security is particularly influenced by a
Foucaultian reading of policing as a form of governmentality, as well as insights from the work of
Pierre Bourdieu
Pierre Bourdieu (; 1 August 1930 – 23 January 2002) was a French sociologist and public intellectual. Bourdieu's contributions to the sociology of education, the theory of sociology, and sociology of aesthetics have achieved wide influence i ...
.
The "sociology of security" is the scientific study of the relationships between community and security. It addresses the questions what understanding of security does society create and conversely, what society does security establish. In other words, sociology of security is the study of mutual interactions between security and the society that result in developing or production and reproduction of security in the society.
The answer to the question "what is the Sociology of Security?" can be discussed from two viewpoints. The first says that the Sociology of Security addresses the "understanding of security", so it asks:
# What kind of understanding of security does the society provide?
# Based on what elements does society formulate the security?
# How does society organize the stable and fragile society?
# How much does the society want to institutionalize the security?
# How do distinctions and differences between security and insecurity form and reproduce in society?
On the other hand, because the aim of Sociology of Security is to study mutual interaction between society and security, the second viewpoint asks:
# What kind of society does the security form?
# What are the benefits and barriers of security for the society?
# What type of interactions does security provide in different environments (urban / rural…) in various situations (parties / union...) in different groups (family / friends...)?
# How does security use social forces such as classes of society?
# What restrictions or barriers does security form for society?
See also
*
Critical security studies
Critical security studies (CSS) is an academic discipline within security studies which draws on critical theory to revise and, at times, reject the narrow focus of mainstream approaches to security. Similarly to the case of critical international ...
References
External links
Doingips website
{{Security Studies
Security studies
Paris School (security)
International relations theory
Methods in sociology