Extracting human security from the Shtokman gas field. Security assemblage in the Murmansk region (2007-2012).

Abstract

My cross-disciplinary analysis contributes to the academic discussion of the role and place of human security in security studies by introducing the novel concept of ‘security assemblage’ which embraces both state and human security. I apply the concept of assemblage as a theoretical framework and examine the security assemblage in the Murmansk region in relation to the Shtokman project (2007-2012). I examine the security practices of different actors and compare them with the state’s perspective. I define what constitutes the conditions for security in the context of oil and gas development in the Murmansk region. The concept of security assemblage captures the dynamic relationship between the state and individuals. The framework enables an examination of various elements such as people, technologies and space, and studies the process as a whole rather than merely highlighting the outcomes. My analysis of the security assemblage in the Murmansk region (2007-2012) shows that human security appears in the context of a broader security agenda (which includes state, energy, military, environmental, and economic security) and becomes an important issue at the regional level. I conclude that human security can be excluded from the political agenda at the national level but still be embedded in local security practices. This empirical finding allows me to make a theoretical claim relating to the place of human security in security studies. I conclude that conceptual disagreements on human security are equally valuable since they highlight different aspects of the concept and reveal numerous connections. I argue that a human security approach not only challenges the idea of a unitary actor within security studies, but the system of knowledge as well.