Edition Politik – serie

The belief that »Nature« exists as a blank, stable stage upon which humans act out tragic performances of international relations is no longer tenable. In a world defined by human action, we must reorient our understanding of ourselves, of our environment, and our security.This book considers how decentred and reflexive approaches to security are required to cope with the Anthropocene – the Human Age. Drawing from various disciplines, this bold reinterpretation explores the possibilities for understanding and preparing a future that will look vastly different than the past. The book asks to dig deeper into what it means to be human and secure in an age of ecological exception."In a growing field of interdisciplinary work on the Anthropocene, ›Security in the Anthropocene‹ sets itself apart. It blends ideas from criminology, international security studies and the environmental humanities to provide unique interdisciplinary insight into the challenges of living on an increasingly turbulent earth."– Audra Mitchell, Balsillie School of International Affairs/Wilfrid Laurier University"This essential, groundbreaking book offers a new conceptual framework that recalibrates what security means in the Anthropocene. Not content on simply highlighting the state of crisis fostered by existential risks in this new era, Cameron Harrington and Clifford Shearing invite us to imagine a more positive and caring form of security."– Benoit Dupont, University of Montreal"Harrington and Shearing's fine book explores evocatively how humans might cope with a world that is fundamentally changed through a critical appraisal of how new impacts on the Earth system shift the conditions of security. This is a tour de force of how our concepts of security create the world that afflicts us. The authors argue, convincingly, that there can be no security in the Anthropocene without an expanded vision of care."– John Braithwaite, Australian National University

Digital media and technologies remain unpredictable when we approach them as actors in armed conflicts. Artificial intelligence, drones, information leaks, hacking, propaganda and fakes become part of war reality. The contributors to this volume prompt us to focus on the virtual fronts of the Russo-Ukrainian War, examining the agency of an individual, community and society in the digitalized war reality. This collection illustrates how digital spaces empower society to stay resilient, resist Russia’s aggression and defend democratic values in times of adversity and severe trials.

Kashmiri nationalism is defined by its dichotomy between the ethnic and the civic. Arshi Javaid delves into this dichotomy, unravelling the political and social variables that shape it. Moving beyond a conventional securitized perspective on the Kashmir conflict, she offers an understanding of Kashmiri nationalism as a daily practice. This perspective critiques the view that reduces Kashmiri nationalism to a monolithic entity, highlights dynamic socio-political developments, and argues that the state nationalist majoritarian agenda undermines collective rights, erodes local identities, and escalates tensions, breeding confrontation.

The structures of rule in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) have been challenged by the Humanitarian Initiative and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPN). How could this rebellion of comparatively small players against the militarily most powerful states in the world succeed? The answer lies in the formation of an alliance of non-nuclear weapon states and civil society using subversive techniques to counter the discursive and procedural dominance of nuclear weapon states. This resistance was also partially motivated by anti-colonialism. With his analysis, Sascha Hach reveals patterns of exercising power in international relations, the functioning of the nuclear order, and creative methods of success in resistance.

Is shrimp becoming Ecuador's new oil – and at what cost? Valerie Lenikus uncovers the political-economic drivers and the socio-ecological implications of extractivism: how export-led aquaculture has razed mangroves, displaced coastal livelihoods, and sharpened struggles over land and natural resources. Based on the Latin American debate on extractivism, historical conditions and inequalities, and the controversial constitution of 2008, the complex power relations on different spatial levels are depicted, linking the central role of the state and its policies with concrete struggles of communities.

Financial inclusion appears as a timely development policy. Ostensibly, providing poor households with access to credit and other financial services contributes to sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Anil Shah reveals the colonial roots of microfinance and how these paved the way for its rise in the present. Drawing on empirical field research, he demonstrates how financial inclusion is the latest incarnation of a class-based mode of dominating and exploiting subaltern classes on the Indian subcontinent through gendered and racialised indebtedness. As such, he offers a vital resource for researchers, students, and policymakers working in the field of development finance.