Identity in Security Studies

Abstract

Security as a central concept in International Relations discipline is strongly related with the existence and survival. That broader understanding becomes the initial point of discussions and inquires about what is to be secured and how it can be secured. In fundamental level, those questions moved the concept of security towards meta-theoretical discussions in International Relations. After those meta-theoretical discussions, a general acceptance has been reached on the reference object of security as the security of humans and states within Security Studies. In different terms, the emphases over those objects and their priority in the security studies have differed. In general, that change in the object of security studies has been parallel with developments and turning points in discussions over International Relations theory. In this study, the main aim is to discover the effect of constructivist turn in International Relations theory to the security studies through analyzing new concepts, variables and methods, such as identity and perception.