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  1. Queen Mary University of London
  2. Research
  3. Research Strategy
  4. Research Culture at Queen Mary
  5. The CIRCLE Fund
  6. Navigating polarising times: reconfiguring security today

Navigating polarising times: reconfiguring security today

Project team

Dr Mirko Palestrino – Senior Lecturer in International Political Sociology (SSE)
Prof Jef Huysmans – Professor of International Politics (SSE)
Brunno Victor Freitas Cunha – PhD Researcher (SSE)

Project description

The rising number of global crises has reignited a “logic of polarisation” in international security. Across disciplines, scholars agree that issues like migration, climate change, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and armed conflicts are interconnected and complex. Yet, public discourse across the political spectrum oversimplifies and compartmentalises them. Migration is reduced to a choice between open borders and nativism. AI is either a resource or an existential threat. Wars become a matter of friends and foes. This project examines this emerging polarising logic and proposes alternative security approaches that appreciate complexity, reject oversimplification, and recognize the interconnections of contemporary global challenges. 

How did the team come together?

Jef and Mirko work as directors of the Research Group on International Political Sociology, an established collaboration that explores international, political and social phenomena through a transdisciplinary lens. The CIRCLE project call provided the opportunity to expand this initiative across the social sciences and humanities and beyond. Jef and Mirko both supervise Brunno, who will help with research and workshop delivery.

How did you decide on this question/topic?

The project emerged from previous symposia held on the topic of navigating catastrophic times. These focused on the strong polarisation of positions that is occurring intellectually, politically and socially on issues such as AI, migration, war, and climate change. There is a tension between this and academic work, which is more nuanced. Making the move from academic work to impact can lead to a polarised position – how can we manoeuvre between the two so that this doesn’t happen?

What activities will you undertake as part of this project?

Following a period of research and mapping, the team will host two facilitated interdisciplinary workshops, where small mixed discipline subgroups will discuss a topic together. Targeted invites for these workshops will be sent to multiple schools and departments across Queen Mary, as well as external participants to strengthen long term collaborations. A final workshop will consolidate outputs and plan next steps.

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