The Oxford Handbook of Human Security
Oxford University Press
Will be published approx. on 4. September 2026
Book
Hardback
704 pages
978-0-19-782393-4 (ISBN)
Description
The Oxford Handbook of Human Security redefines what it means to be secure in the twenty-first century, placing the individual, rather than the state, at the center of analysis. Edited by Derek S. Reveron, David P. Polatty IV, and Summer Marion, this comprehensive volume examines how threats such as climate change, pandemics, migration, digital surveillance, and disinformation transcend borders and reshape global stability. The book explores how traditional national security frameworks-focused on territory and power-can evolve to meet the interconnected crises of our time by emphasizing protection, empowerment, and resilience.
Organized into eight thematic sections, the Handbook brings together leading scholars and practitioners from around the world to address the political, economic, environmental, health, and technological dimensions of human security. From the UN's "Four Freedoms" to the Sustainable Development Goals, contributors trace the evolution of people-centered security thinking and its practical implications for governance at all levels. Through diverse case studies, the volume highlights both the promise and the complexity of implementing human security approaches in an era of global interdependence and growing authoritarianism. The result is an essential guide for understanding the challenges and benefits of safeguarding human dignity in research and policy, towards a more inclusive security paradigm.
Organized into eight thematic sections, the Handbook brings together leading scholars and practitioners from around the world to address the political, economic, environmental, health, and technological dimensions of human security. From the UN's "Four Freedoms" to the Sustainable Development Goals, contributors trace the evolution of people-centered security thinking and its practical implications for governance at all levels. Through diverse case studies, the volume highlights both the promise and the complexity of implementing human security approaches in an era of global interdependence and growing authoritarianism. The result is an essential guide for understanding the challenges and benefits of safeguarding human dignity in research and policy, towards a more inclusive security paradigm.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
7
Dimensions
Height: 248 mm
Width: 171 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-19-782393-4 (9780197823934)
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Derek S. Reveron is Lecturer at Harvard University Extension School and Faculty Affiliate at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He teaches applied strategy and problem-solving, linking theory to policy in complex security environments. His research focuses on how human security complements traditional national security by centering on individuals' rights, safety, and dignity amid global challenges such as cyber threats, maritime insecurity, and war. His career bridges scholarship and practice, with fieldwork and collaborative projects in dozens of countries.
David P. Polatty IV is a Senior Fellow at Brown University's Watson School of International and Public Affairs and senior advisor to humanitarian intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations. He spent over four decades in U.S. government service in multiple leadership roles, as both a civilian professor at the U.S. Naval War College and Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He has also spent over a decade in
senior leadership and advisory roles for humanitarian NGOs and IGOs. He has authored and co-authored over two dozen academic articles.
Summer Marion is Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Studies at Bentley University. Her research investigates global governance, global health politics, and the environment, with a focus on transnational actors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she contributed to the Pandemics & Borders Project examining cross-borders measures that states implement during infectious disease outbreaks. Her career is informed by experience as an editor at the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and past work in policy research and teaching innovation at Harvard University.
David P. Polatty IV is a Senior Fellow at Brown University's Watson School of International and Public Affairs and senior advisor to humanitarian intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations. He spent over four decades in U.S. government service in multiple leadership roles, as both a civilian professor at the U.S. Naval War College and Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He has also spent over a decade in
senior leadership and advisory roles for humanitarian NGOs and IGOs. He has authored and co-authored over two dozen academic articles.
Summer Marion is Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Studies at Bentley University. Her research investigates global governance, global health politics, and the environment, with a focus on transnational actors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she contributed to the Pandemics & Borders Project examining cross-borders measures that states implement during infectious disease outbreaks. Her career is informed by experience as an editor at the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and past work in policy research and teaching innovation at Harvard University.
Content
- Introduction: An Overview of Human Security
- I. Scope of Human Security
- Chapter 1: Derek S. Reveron: History of Human Security
- Chapter 2: Benjamin Zyla and Ruba Musleh: Human Security in International Relations
- Chapter 3: Charlotte Hulme: Human Security and Great Power Competition
- Chapter 4: Tamer Morris: International Organizations and International Humanitarian Law
- Chapter 5: Phillip Cole: Displacement and Human Security
- II. Actors and Approaches
- Chapter 6: Walter Braunohler: The United Nations and Human Security
- Chapter 7: Amanda Murdie and Peyton Baxley: Humanitarian NGOs
- Chapter 8: Brendan M. Howe: Multistakeholder Approaches to Human Security
- Chapter 9: Anna Hayes: Practicing Human Security
- Chapter 10: Nikolas K. Gvosdev: The State Challenge: Overcoming the Insecurity Trilemma of Food, Water, and Energy
- III. Protecting Civilians
- Chapter 11: Lauren Spink: Protection of Civilians: Challenges in Evolving Warfare
- Chapter 12: Heath Brightman and Marshall Kraft: Military Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response
- Chapter 13: Emily Chapman and Maria Carinnes Alejandria: Civilian Protection in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response: Evolving Roles in Civil-Military Engagement in the Asia-Pacific
- Chapter 14: Amith Mandavilli and Sana Vaidya: Tackling Access Challenges in an Evolving Humanitarian Landscape
- Chapter 15: Fiona B. Adamson and Kelly M. Greenhill: Organized Forced Migration and Human Security
- Chapter 16: Ross Coffey: Peace Operations
- Chapter 17: Alexander Gilder and Daniel Linsdell: Human Security in NATO Military Operations
- Chapter 18: Derek S. Reveron: Human Security and US Strategy, 1992-2014
- IV. Identity Security
- Chapter 19: Olga R. Chiriac: Social Identity, Societal Resilience, and Strategic Culture
- Chapter 20: Carolyn M. Stephenson: Gender Equality and Human Security
- Chapter 21: Krystal-Gayle O'Neill: Situating Anti-LGBTQ Laws in the Human Security Discourse
- V. Economic Security
- Chapter 22: Dominic Rohner: The Economics of Fragility: Fighting, Failing States, and Feedback Loops
- Chapter 23: Nithi Nuangjamnong: Demographics and Development
- Chapter 24: Olivier Rubin: Securing against Famine
- Chapter 25: Naysan Adlparvar, Dorothea Omerovic, David P. Polatty IV: Nongovernmental Organization and Development
- VI. Environmental Security
- Chapter 26: Des Gasper: Climate Change, Human Rights, and Human Security
- Chapter 27: Clara Egger: Human Security in a Changing Climate
- Chapter 28: Jan Stockbruegger: Maritime Security
- Chapter 29: Penny Beames and Kate A. Brauman: Water Security and Water Conflict
- Chapter 30: Ian Bradbury: Environmental Governance
- VII. Health Security
- Chapter 31: Summer Marion: Antidote or Disease? The Securitization of Global Health Governance
- Chapter 32: Terry T.-K. Huang, Rachel L. Thompson, Sergio A. Costa, and Jeffrey V. Lazarus: The Epidemic of Preventable Non-Communicable Diseases as a Threat to Human Security: A Systems-Oriented Perspective
- Chapter 33: Megan Rhodes and Megan Fotheringham: Health Security: Pandemic Preparedness and Response
- VIII. Technology Security
- Chapter 34: Roberta Lopes da Cruz Antonio: Human Rights in Cyberspace
- Chapter 35: Genia Kostka and Hui Zhou: Selective Privacy: Why and How Authoritarian States Approach Data Protection in the Digital Era
- Chapter 36: Nate Tombs and Eleonore Fournier-Tombs: What Is Privacy? Rethinking Rights, Consent, and Control in the Digital Age
- Chapter 37: John E. Savage and Derek S. Reveron: Artificial Intelligence and Human Security
- Chapter 38: Malika Saada Saar and Michelle L. Ding: Silencing at Scale: AI Generated Abuse, Digital Democracy, and the Urgent Need to Dismantle the Nudifier Economy
- Chapter 39: Jeffrey Rogg: Privacy in the Panopticon? Intelligence in the Digital Age