The York Centre for International & Security Studies (YCISS) will present its 13th annual conference on Feb. 2 & 3 at York’s Keele campus. The conference, titled “Exceptional Measures for Exceptional Times: The State of Security Post 9/11”, will investigate the policy perspectives and discursive frames that inform how society thinks about the relationship between security and freedom in the post-9/11 era.
Right and below: The events of Sept. 11, 2001 which led to the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City
The events of Sept. 11, 2001 have altered the international security environment, demanding exceptional measures that tighten borders, enable indefinite detention and justify preventive warfare. These developments have raised questions about the appropriate balance between security, freedom and democracy. Some scholars and activists argue that the costs to freedom and democracy are too high, while others argue that security measures are needed to protect this very freedom.
This conference will explore these arguments through discussions of varying topics, including representations of the post-9/11 era, weapons of proliferation, Canadian defence policy, anti-terrorism and immigration law, new technologies, targets of security and biopolitics. Presentations will draw on a broad range of theoretical commitments including critical theory, post-structuralism, feminism(s), post-colonialism, anti-racism, queer theory, Marxism, Gramscian, realism, liberalism, and green theory.
YCISS is a research centre at York University that studies international peace and security issues. The centre hosts a variety of seminar series, publications, and conferences. Its activities range from large, interdisciplinary collaborative research projects to individual faculty projects.
Research areas for YCISS include: Canadian foreign, security and defence policy, civil society and governance, critical security studies, militarism and the use of force, and regional politics and conflict.
For more information about the conference, visit the YCISS Conference Web page or call ext. 55156.