Paper short abstract:

The paper explores the similarities of security studies and anthropology studies. It is argued that ‘emancipated solution’ to security works at the individual and collective security level and, thus, fits in with the notion of anthropology to study humankind and human experience.

Paper long abstract:

The aim of the paper is to investigate if there are ways to link security and anthropology studies. The concept of security is a contested concept and has a different meaning for different people, regions and states. Included in the security debate are issues such as social security, environmental security, economic security, human security, gender security, migration, cultural security, cyber security and military security. Anthropologists, however, hesitate to assume that the concept of security is universal and globally shared. Anthropology is the study of humankind and explores human experience from human origins to contemporary forms of culture and social life. The author is a political scientist specialising in security. In this paper he uses security studies to explore potential similarities with anthropology studies. The school of 'Critical Security Studies' deals with the social construction of security, showing that change is possible because things are socially constituted. In this paper it is argued that 'emancipated solution' to security works at the individual and collective security level and, thus, fits in with the notion of anthropology to study humankind and human experience. Anthropological and Critical Security Studies both provide the knowledge, skills and the research tools, theories, methods, and analytical techniques to study people, cities, regions, states, the past, and shape the future.