Contemporary Security Studies (3rd edition, Alan Collins)

Here is a comprehensive summary of Contemporary Security Studies (3rd edition, Alan

Collins):
What Is the Book About?
Contemporary Security Studies provides a broad, critical overview of the discipline of
security studies within International Relations (IR). The book is structured to introduce
students and scholars to classic and emerging theoretical frameworks in security, then
explores their application to both traditional and non-traditional security issues, including
military, environmental, economic, and societal realms. It is divided into three main
sections:
• Approaches to Security: Covers leading IR theories such as Realism, Liberalism,
Historical Materialism (Marxism), Peace Studies, Critical Security Studies, Social
Constructivism, Human Security, Gender and Security, and Securitisation.
• Deepening and Broadening Security: Examines how the field of security has
expanded beyond traditional military concerns to encompass regime, societal,
environmental, economic, and developmental aspects.
• Traditional and Non-Traditional Security Issues: Explores topics such as coercive
diplomacy, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, humanitarian intervention,
energy security, the defence trade, health, transnational crime, cyber-security, and
child soldiers1.
Why Is the Book Famous?
• Comprehensive Coverage: The book is widely known for integrating a broad range
of traditional and critical theories, providing both historical context and
contemporary developments.
• Leading Contributors: Chapters are written by international subject experts,
reflecting a range of perspectives.
• Pedagogical Tools: The text is structured to support learning, with clear summaries,
case studies, further reading, and critical questions.
• Reflexivity: It highlights the evolution of security studies, how political, economic,
and social developments (such as the Arab Spring) reshape the field, and
addresses the dominance of Western approaches while acknowledging the growing
significance of issues in the Global South1.
Theoretical Frameworks Applied
The book applies and critically evaluates several key theoretical approaches:
• Realism: Focuses on states, power politics, anarchy, and security dilemmas.
• Liberalism: Emphasizes the role of states and non-state actors, economic
interdependence, democracy, and international institutions.
• Historical Materialism (Marxism): Analyzes security through the lens of class,
capitalism, imperialism, and structural violence, and critiques the interests
represented by the state and arms trade.
• Peace Studies: Addresses both direct and structural violence, interdisciplinary and
normative orientation, and deepens the analysis of justice and inequality in
security1.

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 • Critical Security, Constructivism, Human Security: Focus on broader referent
objects (not just states), the construction of security threats, identity politics, and
emancipation.
Relation to the Security-Development Nexus
• Integrated Analysis: The book addresses how insecurity and underdevelopment are
intertwined, particularly in the Global South. Chapters highlight that poverty, weak
institutions, and lack of development create security dilemmas within and between
states.
• Historical Materialism’s Contribution: Offers a holistic, global, and historical analysis,
challenging narrow sectoral analyses and situating the security-development nexus
in the context of global capitalism and structural inequalities, not just as parallel or
intersecting policy challenges1.
Relation to Policy Implementation
• Theory-Practice Link: Several chapters address the implications for policy, such as
arms control, economic sanctions, peace building, humanitarian intervention, and
development assistance.
• Case Studies: Real-world cases (e.g., intervention in Libya, Arab Spring,
environmental change in atoll nations, global health security) demonstrate how
theoretical frameworks directly influence and problematise policy choices1.
• Critical Perspective: The book urges reflection on the biases and limitations of
dominant policy paradigms—such as the security policies adopted by powerful
states and the Western-centric nature of many security agendas.
Summary Table
Aspect Application in the Book

Theoretical and practical security studies across a range of issues, from

Main Focus
classical to critical paradigms.

Realism, Liberalism, Historical Materialism, Peace Studies, and Critical

Key Frameworks
Theories.
Security-
Covered especially through Historical Materialism and in chapters on
Development
economic and developmental security.
Nexus
Emphasis on real-world cases, implications for policy formulation, and
Policy Relevance
critique of mainstream security strategies.

In short: Contemporary Security Studies is recognized for its rigorous, multidisciplinary

approach to the evolving field of security studies, integrating classic IR theory, critical and
holistic perspectives, and case-based analysis that connect scholarship to pressing global
security and development challenges1.

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1. https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/attachments/
22430130/847f19ac-8da2-49f2-9ba0-5ec4ad792e95/Contemporary-Sy-Studies-
Alan-Collins.pdf
2. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/contemporary-security-
studies-9780198895442
3. https://newuniversityinexileconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/
Week1_Contemporary-Security-Studies_Alan-Collins2013.pdf
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AlanCollinsContemporarySecurityStudies.pdf
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9780198862192.001.0001/hepl-9780198862192
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n7CwAAQBAJ
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5112270-20150327.pdf
10. https://www.abebooks.com/9780198708315/Contemporary-Security-Studies-
Collins-Alan-0198708319/plp
11. https://www.scribd.com/document/746392860/Contemporary-Security-Studies-6th-
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12. https://search.worldcat.org/title/Contemporary-security-studies/oclc/933606971
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id=yyRXEAAAQBAJ
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security-issues/csi-exams-lecture-notesreadings-and-contemporary-security-
studies-alan-collins-book/13795432
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9780198895442
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Publisher%20version%20(open%20access).pdf
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1. Gaps Between "Contemporary Security Studies" and Your
PhD Research Topic
• Western-Centric and State-Centric Perspectives:
While Contemporary Security Studies (CSS) offers an extensive review of security
theories and issues, much of its analysis is rooted in Western experiences and
focuses primarily on state-centric understandings. This poses a challenge for fully
addressing the nuanced, country-specific interactions between security and
development seen in Bangladesh, where non-state actors, local contexts, and
regional dynamics are highly significant (1,2).
• Limited Integration of Security and Development in Policy:
CSS documents the expansion of security concepts (e.g., human security) but only
loosely connects these to development policy implementation, especially under the
influence of major global or regional power shifts. The book does not deeply engage
with how development and security are operationalized together in policy settings
like Bangladesh, where aid, infrastructure projects, and foreign relations are closely
intertwined with both security and development priorities (3,4,5).
• Insufficient Coverage of Bangladesh and South Asian Contexts:
The book rarely provides regional or country-level case studies from South Asia.
Issues such as Bangladesh’s unique vulnerabilities—climate risk, migration flows,
and political volatility under great power competition—are not deeply examined.
Consequently, it may overlook localized policy challenges and mechanisms specific
to the security-development nexus in Bangladesh (1,2).
• Emphasis on Traditional and Sectoral Security:
While CSS does address “broadening” and “deepening” of security (e.g., economic,
environmental sectors), the approach is often sectoral or thematic. This risks
missing the complex, cross-sectoral causal linkages between development and
security that are central to your research, especially under rapidly changing
domestic and international conditions (4,6,7).
2. How "Contemporary Security Studies" Can Help Your
PhD Research
• Foundational Theoretical Frameworks:
CSS comprehensively synthesizes theories such as realism, liberalism, historical
materialism, constructivism, and critical security studies. These frameworks can
help you structure your analysis of the security-development nexus and global
power dynamics influencing policy in Bangladesh. The textbook’s critical approach
will assist in examining both traditional (state and military) and non-traditional
(human, economic, environmental) security paradigms (1,2,8).
• Human Security and Critical Approaches:
The book’s inclusion of human security and critical security studies aligns directly
with your focus on people-centric threats and vulnerabilities in Bangladesh. These
approaches provide conceptual “toolkits” for interrogating non-military threats, the
role of social justice, and the position of marginalized groups—central to your
policy-oriented PhD work (9,7).
• Policy Relevance and Case Studies:
CSS’s structure—linking theory to policy and using global case snapshots (though
not Bangladesh-specific)—can help you connect abstract frameworks to concrete
policy debates relevant to national security and development agendas. Its guide for

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 critiquing policy paradigms and mapping out implications will support your
assessment of Bangladesh’s evolving security strategies (2,8,10).
• Multi-Sectoral and Global Perspective:
The book’s multi-sectoral treatment (military, regime, societal, economic,
environmental, health, cyber) provides an integrated lens, showing how threats and
responses overlap. This enables you to situate Bangladesh within broader global
trends, compare with other developing countries, and analyze the influence of
global powers on national policy choices (3,4,11,7).
• Analytical Rigor and Literature Integration:
As a leading textbook, CSS provides a strong review of cutting-edge debates,
methodologies, and literature on security studies. This can serve as a springboard
for situating your research in academic conversations, ensuring theoretical and
methodological rigor, and justifying your choice of frameworks (including their
limitations) in your thesis (2,12).
In summary:
While Contemporary Security Studies cannot, by itself, provide all the context-specific
detail needed for your Bangladesh-focused research, it powerfully equips you with the
theoretical architecture, critical questions, and comparative cases necessary to frame and
justify your analysis of the security-development nexus, policy implementation, and the
effects of global power dynamics on national security in Bangladesh (1,2,7,12).

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Edition11
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contemporary+security+studies+by+alan+collins.pdf
3. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:784285/FULLTEXT01.pdfKoponen,
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A_Critical_Analysis_of_the_Security_Development_Nexus
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Nexus_SSG_SDG16.pdf
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7. https://esciencepress.net/journals/index.php/JSAS/article/view/798
8. https://fb.bg.ac.rs/en/studies/doctoral-degree-studies/security-studies-phd/
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202111/1412/52/11daaaa01a735aa56adff63af912dfe6.pdf
11. https://www.academia.edu/96555070/The_Security_Development_Nexus
12. https://www.e-ir.info/2015/03/18/the-field-of-security-studies-in-rude-health-or-a-
chronic-state-of-disrepair/
13. https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/attachments/
22430130/847f19ac-8da2-49f2-9ba0-5ec4ad792e95/Contemporary-Sy-Studies-
Alan-Collins.pdf
14. https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/attachments/
22430130/03b53284-33b8-4807-bcd9-3ab00de7d578/Synopsis-PhD-17-
Jun-2025.pdf
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 16. https://www.routledge.com/Rethinking-the-Security-Development-Nexus-Organised-
Crime-in-Post-Conflict/Jesperson/p/book/9781138200081
17. https://www.academia.edu/102883369/Security_Challenges_in_Bangladesh
18. https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/90095/the-development-
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19. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:784285/FULLTEXT01.pdfKoponen
20. https://ndcjournal.ndc.gov.bd/ndcj/index.php/ndcj/article/download/49/44
——————-

Here is a detailed analysis based on the main and secondary research questions and
objectives from your PhD Synopsis, focusing on:
1. Gaps between "Contemporary Security Studies" (CSS) and Your PhD Research
Topic
2. Ways CSS Can Support Your PhD Research

1. Gaps: Where "Contemporary Security Studies" May Not Fully Address

Your PhD Topic
a. Contextual and Regional Specificity
• Limited South Asian/Bangladesh Case Focus:
CSS offers a global overview of theories and security issues but only rarely
provides in-depth case studies relevant to Bangladesh or South Asia. While general
frameworks are presented, country-specific dynamics—such as Bangladesh’s
unique historical, political, and developmental context—are not deeply explored1.
b. Integration of Security and Development in Policy Implementation
• Theoretical Coverage, Empirical Gap:
Although CSS broadens the discussion to the security-development nexus
(especially via historical materialism and human security perspectives), it tends to
treat security and development as intersecting or parallel themes. The book does
not provide an extensive account of how these are operationalized together in
concrete policy environments—especially in developing contexts like Bangladesh
where governance, aid, and development strategy are deeply intertwined with
national and local security concerns1.
c. Insufficient Exploration of Domestic Policy Process
• State-Centric Bias:
The book’s analysis and examples remain predominantly state-focused, with less
emphasis on how domestic policy agendas, political institutions, or bureaucratic
processes directly affect the implementation of integrated security-development
frameworks at the country level. The nuances of local politics, administrative
barriers, and bottom-up perspectives as they affect policy are not a central focus1.
d. Global Power Shifts and Local Impact
• Broad Analysis, Limited Country-Level Application:
CSS acknowledges the evolving influence of global great powers and the shifting
international order; however, it does not closely analyze how these macro-level
changes translate into national strategy, resource allocation, or practical
development-security outcomes in particular countries such as Bangladesh1.
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e. Sectoral/Silo Approach
• Need for Holistic Integration:
While the book covers sectors like economic, environmental, and societal security,
these are mostly treated in discrete chapters rather than as interconnected realms
within live policy implementation, potentially missing the complex cross-sectoral
linkages crucial for your research focus1.
2. How "Contemporary Security Studies" Can Strengthen Your PhD
Research
a. Robust Theoretical Architecture
• Comprehensive Review of Security Theories:
CSS presents a spectrum of relevant IR and security theories—realism, liberalism,
historical materialism, constructivism, peace studies, and critical security studies.
These frameworks will help you rigorously situate and justify your analytical
perspective, ensuring your work is theoretically grounded and engages with the
major academic debates around the security-development nexus1.
b. Analytical and Methodological Guidance
• Critical Approaches and Broadened Definitions:
Chapters on human security, critical security studies, and peace studies invite you
to look beyond military-centric or state-centric paradigms, aligning closely with a
multidimensional, human-centered analysis of security as found in your research
objectives1.
c. Multi-Sectoral and Interdisciplinary Perspective
• Integration of Economic, Environmental, and Societal Issues:
The book’s structure—covering economic security, globalization, environmental
threats, and societal identity—mirrors the cross-sectoral challenges you seek to
explore. This supports your rationale for treating development and security as
deeply interwoven policy challenges, not parallel academic silos1.
d. Policy Practice Connections and Case Study Templates
• Theory-to-Practice Bridging:
While specific Bangladesh cases are limited, CSS nonetheless provides case study
approaches, policy analysis techniques, and real-world examples of how security
frameworks are translated into policy, which you can adapt for your own context-
specific empirical work. The book encourages a critical view of mainstream policy
models, directly supporting the evaluative element in your research1.
e. Critical Engagement with Global Structures
• Historical Materialism Perspective:
CSS’s historical materialism chapter, in particular, challenges you to place
Bangladesh’s experience within the global capitalist system, examining how
structural inequalities and global power dynamics shape both development
prospects and security strategy at the national level—exactly the kind of macro-to-
micro linkage your research seeks to trace1.

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Summary Table
Area Gaps in CSS for Thesis How CSS Supports Thesis

Country-Speci c Insight Limited regional/country content Adaptable frameworks for cases

Policy Implementation Thin empirical treatment of practice Offers critical evaluation tools

Sectoral Integration Sectors often treated separately Multi-sectoral coverage

Global-Local
Lacks deep local-level analysis Theoretical tools for analysis
Translation

More theory than granular Case study and critique

Theory-Policy Link
application template

Conclusion
Contemporary Security Studies will not give you all the answers for a Bangladesh-centric,
empirically grounded study of the security-development nexus. However, it will provide you
with the most up-to-date theoretical and methodological toolkit, critical concepts, and
comparative perspectives necessary to structure, justify, and deepen your research. The
gaps you identify are themselves evidence of where your work can make an original
contribution and how you can position your research to advance both scholarship and
practical understanding in the field1.

1 Contemporary-Sy-Studies-Alan-Collins.pdf (book content provided)

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Alan-Collins.pdf

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Certainly! Here’s a step-by-step guide for how you, as a PhD researcher on security and
development issues in Bangladesh (or a similar context), can identify specific gaps in
"Contemporary Security Studies" (CSS) by Alan Collins, so you can clarify your thesis’s
original contribution and also leverage the book for your conceptual and analytical
frameworks.
1. Clarify Your Own Research Framework
Start with a close review of your synopsis:
• What are your primary and secondary research questions?
• What are your stated objectives (e.g., understanding the security-development
nexus, policy effectiveness, impact of global power shifts, etc.)?
• What geographic or sectoral focus (Bangladesh, South Asia, national/local policy,
vulnerable groups, etc.) do you have?

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 • What methodological approach (case study, policy analysis, historical study, etc.)
are you developing?
2. Read CSS with a Critical Eye
Use your questions/objectives as a checklist while reading or skimming the relevant
chapters in CSS. Focus on:
• Approaches to security (Realism, Liberalism, Historical Materialism, Peace Studies,
Critical Security Studies, Human Security, etc.)
• Deepening/broadening security—economic, environmental, regime, societal,
globalization- and development-related chapters.
• Policy-dedicated sections and applied case studies.
3. Key Strategies for Identifying Gaps
a. Regional and Contextual Specificity
• Question: Does CSS cover South Asia, Bangladesh, or countries with similar
development-security challenges in a detailed, empirical way?
• How to Check: Search for Bangladesh, South Asia, or similar contexts in the index,
case studies, and examples.
• If Lacking: This is a gap! Your research can claim to be an original, context-specific
application or critique.
b. Theory vs. Empirical Policy Analysis
• Question: Does CSS connect theory directly to policy implementation in countries
like Bangladesh?
• How to Check: In chapters on human security, development, or economic security,
look for actual policy process analysis (not just theoretical suggestions).
• If Lacking: Point out this gap—many foundational works address theory but don’t
follow through to real-world implementation in developing countries.
c. Integration of Security and Development
• Question: Are the links between security and development analyzed in a holistic
way, especially regarding implementation challenges, trade-offs, or synergies in
policy?
• How to Check: Focus on the “Globalization, Development, and Security” chapter.
Does it offer granular treatment of how development goals and security needs
conflict, overlap, or are managed together in policy?
• If Lacking: Note that CSS addresses the nexus, but often as a conceptual
expansion—less as a grounded, operational reality.
d. Process, Agency, and Actors
• Question: Does the book focus too much on states and the international system, or
does it discuss non-state actors, local agency, and bottom-up change in depth?
• How to Check: In chapters on policy implementation, human security, or regime/
societal security, observe if subnational processes get attention.
• If Lacking: Your research can fill a notable gap by foregrounding non-state/local
perspectives or multi-level governance.

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e. Impact of Global Power Shifts
• Question: Is there detailed analysis of how US-China rivalry, changing aid regimes,
or shifts in global governance are affecting security and development policy at the
nation-state or local level?
• How to Check: Review case examples in chapters on globalization, regime security,
and economic security.
• If Lacking: Identify this as a critical gap, especially if your thesis examines these
causal processes in Bangladesh or South Asia.
f. Policy Outcomes and Practical Challenges
• Question: Does CSS only discuss what policy “should” do, or does it analyze actual
outcomes, failures, and lessons in developing contexts?
• How to Check: Look for evaluations of specific project/program results or policy
effectiveness in the chapters.
• If Lacking: Point out this shortcoming and position your research as addressing
real-world barriers, failures, and successes.
4. How to Document and Synthesize These Gaps
Create a table or summary, for example:
Issue / Area CSS coverage Gaps identi ed relevant to your research
Bangladesh/South Asia cases Minimal / Absent Contextual/policy speci cs missing
Partial; mostly Policy practice/implementation thin, esp. in
Theory-empirical connection
theory Global South
Security-development
Conceptual Not operationalized, especially in fragile states
integration
State-centric bias; lacks local agency
Multi-level/local actors Limited
perspective
Global power shifts (US- Mentioned, not
Needs more grounded analysis of local impacts
China etc) detailed
Practical challenges and actual impacts
Policy outcomes/evaluations Limited
underexplored

5. How This Supports Your Contribution

By explicitly mapping these gaps, you can:
• Argue that your research translates, challenges, or extends leading-edge theory
into new empirical contexts.
• Show originality in focusing on under-represented perspectives, contexts, or
processes.
• Justify your methodological choices (case study, policy analysis, etc.) as needed to
answer questions CSS leaves open.
6. How CSS Still Supports Your Thesis
Use CSS to:
• Provide established conceptual and theoretical frameworks.
• Anchor your literature review and justify your analytical approach.
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 • Compare your findings with the mainstream trends/theories in the discipline.
7. Incorporate this Reflexive Analysis into Your Dissertation/Synopsis
• In “literature review” chapters, discuss both what CSS provides and what it lacks, as
shown above.
• Explicitly state how your work addresses the deficiencies using direct evidence from
both your research context and the book's content.

Summary:
By reading CSS closely through the “lens” of your own research questions, objectives, and
context (Bangladesh/security-development/policy/practice), and systematically tracking
where it falls short (and why), you can demonstrate both the necessity and the originality
of your PhD research—while also building a solid theoretical foundation for it. This process
will be well regarded by your supervisors and examiners.

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