The Politics of Global (In-)security: Emotions, Psychoanalysis, and Existentialism - POL00082H

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Module summary

In an era marked by globalisation and persistent crises, the 21st century grapples with pervasive existential anxieties that put into question individuals, groups, and states’ sense of security. This module examines how individuals, groups, and states seek to manage existential anxieties and insecurities in global politics by drawing on insights from psychoanalytic theory and existential philosophy.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 1 2025-26

Module aims

This module offers a comprehensive survey of the field of Ontological Security Studies, an interdisciplinary research agenda situated at the intersections of political psychology, international political sociology, and International Relations. Ontological security is concerned with what defines actors’ sense of self – their identity narratives, collective memories, routines, habits, social relations, and sense of meaning and purpose – and their trust in the positivity, stability, and continuity of this sense of self and the social environment.

The module delves into the ways in which actors seek to secure their subjective sense of being, the mechanisms underlying these practices, and the political implications and consequences thereof. The module will also address different conceptualisations of anxiety, the dynamics of stability and change in international politics, the ethical considerations surrounding security, and the feasibility of achieving security in an uncertain world. Furthermore, the module explores empirical cases from various geographical locations and levels of analysis, including identity, collective memory, migration, gender, foreign policy, and everyday politics. These case studies illuminate how anxieties contribute to the polarisation, divisiveness, and emotional investment surrounding these issues, and can even incite actors who are even willing to put their physical security at risk in order to maintain a sense of ontological security.

Module learning outcomes

• Exhibit comprehensive knowledge of the origins, evolution, and contemporary dynamics of politics and international relations through the lens of ontological security theory (PLO1)

• Apply theories, concepts, and methods to independently analyse the relationship between ontological (in)security, anxiety, and political behaviour, using critical reasoning and empirical testing where appropriate to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses (PLO2) 

• Develop and evaluate arguments using advanced theories of anxiety, drawing from sociological, existential, psychoanalytic, and poststructural perspectives, and apply them to real-world political problems (PLO3)

• Work independently to address empirical challenges in politics and international relations, by applying advanced theoretical perspectives to behavioural, psychological, and socio-political issues, and analysing relevant data (PLO4)

• Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex theoretical, conceptual, and empirical arguments effectively, translating ideas from Ontological Security Studies into clear, accessible forms for both academic and broader audiences (PLO5)

• Possess the capacity to bring together multiple frameworks - such as ontological security, anxiety theories, and psycho-political dynamics - to offer holistic insights into how global phenomena affect local and national politics (PLO7)

Module content

Week 1:

Introduction: What (in)security, whose anxiety? 

Week 2:

Late Modernity, Uncertainty, and Self-identity

Week 3: 

Existentialism and the Courage to Be

Week 4:

Psychoanalytic Theory and Phantasy Narratives

Week 5:

Agency and Creativity 

Week 6: 

Affects and Emotions

Week 7: 

The State as Social Defence System against Anxiety

Week 8:

Collective Trauma and Collective Memory

Week 9:

Gender and Ontological (In)security

Week 10: 

Micro-politics and Everyday Anxieties

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Module feedback

Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment.  They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s feedback and guidance hours.

Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment no later than 25 working days; and the module tutor will hold a specific session to discuss feedback, which students can also opt to attend.  They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s regular feedback and guidance hours.

Indicative reading

• Antony Giddens (1991) Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Stanford University Press

• John Cash (1996) Identity, Ideology and Conflict: The structuration of Politics in Northern Ireland. Cambridge University Press.

• Catarina Kinnvall (2004) Globalization and religious nationalism: Self, Identity, and the Search for Ontological Security. Political Psychology 25(5): 741-767.

• Brent Steele (2008) Ontological security in international relations: Self-identity and the IR state. Routledge

• Stuart Croft (2012) Securitizing Islam: Identity and the Search for Security. Cambridge University Press.

• Bahar Rumelili (2014) Conflict Resolution and Ontological Security: Peace Anxieties. Routledge.

• Jelena Subotic (2019) Yellow Star, Red star: Holocaust Remembrance after Communism. Cornell University Press.

• Kathrin Bachleitner (2021) Collective Memory in International Relations. Oxford University Press.

• Christopher Browning et al (2021) Vicarious Identity in International Relations: Self, Security, and Status on the Global Stage. Oxford University Press.

Nicolai Gellwitzki and Anne-Marie Houde (2023) Narratives, Ontological Security, and Unconscious Phantasy: Germany and the European Myth during the so-called Migration Crisis Political Psychology 44(2): 435-451.