Human security refers in its broadest sense to the protection of individuals from harm. Human Security: Theory and Action explores the theory and application of concepts central to this notion of security. It examines the conceptual roots of human security, connecting its origins to its applications and challenges in war and peacetime. With a unique focus on the evolving notion of responsibility for security, the text introduces the critical questions and priorities that underpin policies and actions.

The text is organized around four sections. The introduction offers an overview of human security and its basic tenets and historical foundations. The second section focuses on human security in armed conflict and post-conflict reconstruction, discussing such issues as the doctrine of Responsibility to Protect, racial inequality, peacekeeping and peace negotiation processes, and humanitarian assistance. The third section identifies the long-term issues that are necessary for a durable human security, including human rights, food security, poverty, gender equality, health security, and environmental sustainability. The final section applies the concepts introduced in the book to twenty-first century concerns and offers insights on turning theory into action.

Integrated into the text are many case studies to broaden the student's awareness beyond the conflicts and issues that dominate the media. By balancing theoretical explanations with concrete illustrative cases, both historical and contemporary, the text provides intellectually challenging and intrinsically interesting material and offers a unique, comprehensive introduction human security in war and peace.

The second edition of Human Security: Theory and Action examines the conceptual roots of human security, connecting its origins to its application in a time of conflict, inequality, environmental stress, and the aftermath of a global pandemic.

The foundational text for introducing human security in the classroom.

About the Author

David Andersen-Rodgers is a professor of political science at California State University, Sacramento. His teaching and research has focused on human security, conflict-induced displacement, foreign policy decision-making, and small arms proliferation.

Kerry F. Crawford is an associate professor of Political Science at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She is the author of several books, including Wartime Sexual Violence (2017, Georgetown University Press), Human Security: Theory and Action (2018, Rowman & Littlefield), and The PhD Parenthood Trap (2021, Georgetown University Press). She teaches and researches subjects related to human security, conflict-related sexual violence, United Nations peacekeeping, public opinion on civilian casualties, and gender and bias in the academic profession.

Reviews

This useful textbook covers all of the essential debates around the various dimensions of security. It will be a valuable resource to undergraduate students who study international relations, human rights, or development, as well as to the readers who want to better understand questions about war, peace, protection, and international intervention.

-- Severine Autesserre, author of Peaceland and The Frontlines of Peace

This new edition of Human Security: Theory and Action is required reading for students of human security. Andersen-Rodgers and Crawford weave timely case illustrations, thought-provoking discussion questions, and fundamental concepts throughout the text to help readers bridge human security theory and practice in the fields of peace and conflict, health, the environment, gender, and rule of law. The second edition expands on the central theoretical debates within the human security field and includes essential discussions about racial inequality and policing. A foundational text for introducing human security in the classroom.

-- Lauren Balasco, Stockton University

Human Security: Theory and Action is an authoritative work and a worthy update to the original edition. This study introduces the concept of durable human security and shows its relevance across the board. Subjects covered effectively include an expanded treatment of human security as a major concept in the field, along with armed conflict and war, Northern Ireland after the Troubles, Responsibility to Protect, peace-building, public health and climate change. This book is essential reading about security issues in particular and international studies in general.

-- Patrick James, Dornsife Dean's Professor, School of International Relations, USC

No study of international security affairs is complete without an examination of human security in all its dimensions, and no book does a better job of exploring this pivotal phenomenon than Human Security: Theory and Action. As Andersen-Rogers and Crawford conclusively demonstrate, an understanding of human security is essential for analyzing current world perils, including war and climate change, and devising effective strategies for overcoming them. At a time when these dangers appear increasingly acute, this book provides an invaluable guide for constructive thinking.

-- Michael Klare, author of The Race for What's Left and All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon's Perspective on Climate Change



Book Information
ISBN 9781538159934
Author David Andersen-Rodgers
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 485g
Dimensions(mm) 223mm * 153mm * 20mm