Securitize This!: Race, World, and Visuality in the Era of Security
Abstract
Tracing the legacy and actions of security back through Modern and Enlightenment philosophy, through colonial actions and decolonial wars, and finally through counterinsurgency war manuals and the aftermath of 9/11, this dissertation argues that security is not a post-9/11 phenomenon. Rather, it has a long and complex history that is inundated with failure and unintended effects. While 9/11 represents a public acknowledgement of the technological and military sides of globalization and security, it does not represent a beginning. From the Christian and truth-determining subject in Descartes and the racialized world-making in Kant, both of which functioned alongside slavery and colonial intervention, to failed wars in Algeria and the politics of truth in Palestine, security continually attempts to create a world in its own vision while hoping to account for all possible disruptions in the future.