- Presents a global view of the issue of privatized security, delving into diverse and illustrative cases from different geographic and political contexts
- Overviews the historical shift toward privatized security and private involvement in militarized conflict, including war
- A rare sociological examination of violence, security contractors, and our assumptions about privatized security in the global sphere
Buy this book
- About this book
-
The first book dedicated to the sociology of privatized security, this collection studies the important global trend of shifting security from public to private hands and the associated rise of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) and their contractors. The volume first explores the trend itself, making important historical and theoretical revisions to the existing social science of private security. These chapters discuss why rulers buy, rent and create private militaries, why mercenaries have become private patriots, and why the legitimacy of military missions is undermined by the use of contractors. The next section challenges the idea that states have a monopoly on legitimate violence and questions our legal and economic assumptions about private security. The collection concludes with a discussion of the contractors themselves, focusing on gender, race, ethnicity, and other demographic factors. Featuring a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods and a range of theoretical and methodological innovations, this book will inspire sociologists to examine, with fresh eyes, the behind-the-scenes tension between the high drama of war and conflict and the mundane realities of privatized security contractors and their everyday lives.
- About the authors
-
Ori Swed is Assistant Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work at Texas Tech University, USA, where he is also Director of the Peace, War, & Social Conflict Lab. His research focuses on the role of non-state actors in conflict and security.
Thomas Crosbie is Assistant Professor of Military Operations at the Royal Danish Defence College, Denmark. His research focuses the linked themes of military politics, the professionalization of security, the privatization of security and the operational level of war.
- Reviews
-
“The re-appearance of privatised military forces has been one of the most striking and debated military developments since the end of the Cold War. Does the emergence of private military and security companies constitute the end of the state's monopoly of legitimate violence or only its extension? This volume seeks to address this vital question and its diverse and portentous implications. Although the collection explores the privatisation of military power from a number of illuminating angles, including nationalism, law and the reserves, the collection is unified by its resolutely sociological orientation. As such, it is unique and will be an indispensable guide for scholars interested in this important topic.” (Anthony King, The University of Warwick, UK)
“Who are contemporary corporate warriors? What do they do? What motivates them? How do they compare to their historical predecessors? What are the implications for global security? Are there implications for inequities within and across boarders? From the gates of exclusive African neighborhoods to the hills of Afghanistan, private military security contractors are redefining the face of global security. The time has come for a sociology of privatized security. In The Sociology of Privatized Security, Ori Swed and Thomas Crosbie masterfully make the case.” (Patricia M. Shields, Texas State University, USA)
- Table of contents (11 chapters)
-
-
Introduction: Sociology and the Privatization of Security
Pages 1-19
-
Why Privatize: The Reasons Rulers Today Buy, Rent, or Create Private Militaries
Pages 23-43
-
From Mercenaries to Private Patriots: Nationalism and the Private Military Contractors
Pages 45-66
-
Legitimacy Building in Policy and Practice: The Case of US Private Military and Security Contractors (PMSCs) in Afghanistan
Pages 67-83
-
The Expansion of the US Military’s Civilian Periphery and Corollary Progressive Changes in US Military Law
Pages 87-105
-
Table of contents (11 chapters)
Bibliographic Information
- Bibliographic Information
-
- Book Title
- The Sociology of Privatized Security
- Editors
-
- Ori Swed
- Thomas Crosbie
- Copyright
- 2019
- Publisher
- Palgrave Macmillan
- Copyright Holder
- The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)
- eBook ISBN
- 978-3-319-98222-9
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-3-319-98222-9
- Hardcover ISBN
- 978-3-319-98221-2
- Softcover ISBN
- 978-3-030-07468-5
- Edition Number
- 1
- Number of Pages
- XIX, 281
- Number of Illustrations
- 1 illustrations in colour
- Topics
