In this blog, Yasaman Roustayar explores how British elites responded to the 1791 Haitian Revolution by framing it as a threat to imperial order. Drawing on the concept of security culture, it shows how politicians, writers, and newspapers portrayed Black resistance as violent and illegitimate. These narratives shaped public perception and justified military intervention. By analyzing discourse and policy, the post argues that “threat” was constructed, revealing how racialized fear became a tool of imperial governance and control.
The Security Catastrophe of the Paris Commune – from the perspective of the communards
In this blog, Magnus Gislason revisits the Paris Commune of 1871 through the lens of security. While often framed as a threat to the French state amid invasion and collapse, the Commune can also be understood from the communards’ own security concerns. By tracing the emergence of a revolutionary “security culture from below,” the blog shows how dominant notions of order and protection were challenged, even if no coherent alternative ever fully took shape.
‘Death to the Traitor’: Securitization and the Dreyfus Affair
In this article, Anne Weiler examines how the Dreyfus Affair became a process of securitization in which Alfred Dreyfus was framed as an existential threat to the French nation. By analyzing the role of the French Army, antisemitic nationalism, and propaganda, she shows how fear, prejudice, and political instability enabled extreme measures to be justified in the name of security. Through media representations and symbolic narratives, the article highlights how the affair transformed from a judicial case into a powerful political and cultural struggle, revealing the dangers of weaponizing security discourse in times of crisis.
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