ABSTRACT
The concept of ‘human security’ has achieved near-ubiquitous status within contemporary security discourse. For this reason alone it deserves critical scrutiny, but beyond its sheer prevalence the concept is especially deserving of attention as it seems, on the surface at least, to touch upon several key ideas and debates within critical security studies. These include: debates over the ‘broadening’ of security to encompass non-military issues; the relationship of security to freedom; and, most fundamentally, the idea of prioritising individual humans over the state in understandings of security. This chapter begins by detailing the rise to prominence of the idea of human security and the inroads it has made into both security policy and development practices globally. From there it assesses how the concept of human security fits within the broader notion of a ‘security-development nexus’wherein human development and the management of security threats are seen to be inextricably linked. The latter sections of the chapter then engage critical debates on the meaning of human security, the scope of its application in development practices, and the question of whether human security ultimately challenges or reinforces traditional understandings of security.
