Cultures of Insecurity: States, Communities, and the Production of Danger

Borderlines #14

by Jutta Weldes, Mark Laffey (Contributor), Hugh Gusterson (Contributor)

Examines the cultural production of insecurity in local, national and international contexts. Genocide in Rwanda, instability in the Middle East, anarchy on the Internet-insecurities abound. But do they occur “naturally,” or are they, as this pathbreaking volume suggests, cultural and social productions? Bringing together scholars from political science and anthropology, this collection of essays redirects long-standing views on culture as both a source of insecurity and an object of analysis. Pamela Ballinger, Michael Barnett, Ralph Litzinger, George Marcus, Joseph Masco, Jennifer Milliken, John Mowitt, Himadeep Muppidi, Steve Niva, and Diana Saco.

Genres: International Relations

452 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

Reviews

[Greg Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read three of the pieces in the book.

"Contested Sovereignties and Postcolonial Insecurities in the Middle East" by Steve Niva, "Peacekeeping, Indifference, and Genocide in Rwanda" by Michael N. Barnett, and "States of Insecurity: Plutonium and Post-Cold War Anxiety in New Mexico, 1992-96" by Joseph Masco.

I really liked the Barnett and Masco pieces.