On history and authority: the Cold War nuclear arms race and its importance for critical security theory
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On history and authority: the Cold War nuclear arms race and its importance for critical security theory. / van Munster, Rens; Sylvest, Casper.
In: Critical Studies on Security, Vol. 10, No. 3, 2022, p. 157-171.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - On history and authority: the Cold War nuclear arms race and its importance for critical security theory
AU - van Munster, Rens
AU - Sylvest, Casper
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Since the late 1990s, the critical study of security has crystallised into a professional field of study–Critical Security Studies (CSS)–complete with theoretical schools, journals, and disciplinary narratives that recount its birth and development. The establishment of CSS as a separate field of inquiry distinct from conventional approaches to security is a remarkable achievement but has also come at a price. We argue that this is especially apparent in relation to the limited role Cold War history plays in CSS. Disciplinary narratives of the field tend to conflate the Cold War period with conventional security theory or strategic studies, thus downplaying the originality and importance of critical perspectives articulated during this protracted conflict. Emphasising the deep entanglements of the Cold War nuclear arms race with questions of ecological contamination, democracy, race, and decolonisation, we argue that these intersections are worth revisiting as intellectual precursors and foundations for CSS. We briefly illustrate this argument by highlighting important challenges to conventional security thinking that were formulated at three interconnected sites during the early Cold War: the 1955 Bandung Conference, Pan-African resistance to French nuclear testing in Algeria, and African-American anti-nuclear activism.
AB - Since the late 1990s, the critical study of security has crystallised into a professional field of study–Critical Security Studies (CSS)–complete with theoretical schools, journals, and disciplinary narratives that recount its birth and development. The establishment of CSS as a separate field of inquiry distinct from conventional approaches to security is a remarkable achievement but has also come at a price. We argue that this is especially apparent in relation to the limited role Cold War history plays in CSS. Disciplinary narratives of the field tend to conflate the Cold War period with conventional security theory or strategic studies, thus downplaying the originality and importance of critical perspectives articulated during this protracted conflict. Emphasising the deep entanglements of the Cold War nuclear arms race with questions of ecological contamination, democracy, race, and decolonisation, we argue that these intersections are worth revisiting as intellectual precursors and foundations for CSS. We briefly illustrate this argument by highlighting important challenges to conventional security thinking that were formulated at three interconnected sites during the early Cold War: the 1955 Bandung Conference, Pan-African resistance to French nuclear testing in Algeria, and African-American anti-nuclear activism.
U2 - 10.1080/21624887.2023.2167773
DO - 10.1080/21624887.2023.2167773
M3 - Journal article
VL - 10
SP - 157
EP - 171
JO - Critical Studies on Security
JF - Critical Studies on Security
SN - 2162-4887
IS - 3
ER -
ID: 371691201