The Role of Civil Society in Everyday Security (BORDEX)

• In Event: Crime prevention, communities and social control

Abstract

‘Everyday security’ plays a key role in making people feel safe and secure within the communities they live and work, and has long been considered a pillar of building healthy societies. In the Irish context, providing ‘security’ has been even more crucial as building and maintaining security has been a central focus of the transition from conflict and implementation of the peace process in Northern Ireland. While a significant literature has developed around the role of state institutions (such as the police, military, etc) in building and maintaining security in this context, there has been less focus on the critical, everyday role of civil society in contributing to peace, safety and security. Further, the more recent political instability resulting from Brexit serves to reinforce the importance of understanding how local community initiatives contribute to the production of everyday security. This paper will therefore present a brief outline of an ongoing research project investigating these issues, ‘The Role of Civil Society in Everyday Security’ (BORDEX), as well as some of the key findings from the fieldwork completed to date. It aims to articulate new knowledge on the governance of (in)security on the island of Ireland – specifically focusing on the ‘informal’ ways in which civil society and local communities produce ‘everyday security’.

Authors

• Amanda Kramer, Queen's University Belfast

• Allely Albert, TU Dublin

• Matt Bowden, TU Dublin