1 Concepts of Human Security

From definitions to investigating a discourse Concepts of human security have been debated and disputed at length during the past twenty years or more. Many lists of definitions exist and various comparative analyses of definitions. 1 These reveal not a single concept but a family with many variants, all of which might be relevant for some audiences and contexts. One core theme is the contrast between human security as the security of persons and state security as the security of a state apparatus or territory—a contrast which highlights the aspect: security for or of whom? We should consider besides that several other aspects, including: security of which goods; security to what extent; security against which threats; security using which means; and secured by whom. Related to this exploration of notions of ‘security’, we need to consider meanings of ‘human’, thereby taking further the examination of ‘security of which goods ’ and of the proposed justifications for securitization claims. In contrast to their relatively refine