Realist assumptions of security studies increasingly have been challenged by an approach that places the human being, rather than the state, at the center of security concerns. This text is an indispensable statement of the ideas of this critical security project, written by some of its leading exponents.

The book is structured around three concepts—security, community, and emancipation—that arguably are central to the future shape of world politics. Each of its three parts begins with a survey of key theoretical issues, followed by an investigation of current case material. The authors emphasize that critical security is about the problems of real people in real places, and about linking theory and practice. Throughout, they address the fundamental questions at the heart of critical thinking about security.