Introduction: Mapping critical security studies and travelling without maps

This introductory chapter situates the text within the existing literature and field of international security, aiming in particular to identify the meaning(s) of the term ‘critical security studies’. We begin with an overview and evaluation of three dominant ways in which the field of security studies has previously been mapped and how critical security studies is usually placed within these mappings: an intellectual map; a temporal map (or timeline); and a spatial map. Assessing the merits and disadvantages of each mapping, the introduction then outlines the chapter structure and pedagogical features of the book as a whole.