Constructing Security: A Relational Mapping of the EU Security Market

Kumar, Richa (2017) Constructing Security: A Relational Mapping of the EU Security Market. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Kent,. (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided)

Abstract

The present research provides a study of the growing EU (border) security market. It demonstrates how the practices of the security market elude commonly made distinctions of public/private, internal/external, civil/military and security/defence dichotomies. It underlines the significance of collaboration, convergences and circulations as the dynamics behind the growth of the EU security market. In particular, it focuses on the collaboration of private actors with their public counterparts. Leveraging Bourdieu's notion of 'field', this research maps the variety of actors involved in the EU security market, focusing on the questions of domination, transversality, gravitational forces and conflict. It outlines convergences between public/private by highlighting shareholding patterns of the companies, their cross-sectoral competencies, circulation of personnel and routinized activities of lobbying, marketing, and sales through which they construct the security market. Further, utilizing the concept of 'habitus' and 'capital', this research analyzes the career trajectories and biographies of the security professionals, including raising questions of gender and generation that differentiate the field of security. Furthermore, by examining a range of terms and phrases, it explores the vocabulary of security - the security lexicon - which is employed by the security professionals to further the global (in)security doxa. Methodologically, my research draws upon interviews with over 60 security professionals working with security companies, EU bodies, research institutes, law firms and lobbying consultancies, along with participant observation at high-level security conferences and security exhibitions. This study seeks to reveal the obscured relations and motivations, profit motives and politics explaining the dynamics of the growing security market, which raise questions of accountability, responsibility and transparency that are circumvented through these (blurring) practices.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD))
Uncontrolled keywords:	Migration, Security Market, EU, Bourdieu
Divisions:	Faculties > Social Sciences > School of Politics and International Relations
SWORD Depositor:	System Moodle
Depositing User:	System Moodle
Date Deposited:	10 Oct 2017 15:10 UTC
Last Modified:	11 Oct 2017 14:24 UTC
Resource URI:	https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/63935 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)