At first view, at least if we are to judge by the proliferation of bloody news in the news headlines on TV, violence is everywhere. And yet... If we look back at previous centuries and decades, civil peace has never been so prevalent. And never has our society been so effective at protecting itself, to a greater or lesser extent, from acts of violence and terrorism.

So what lies at the source of this commonly described impression that our minds are awash with serious acts of violence? Partly the media, which, as we know, competes fiercely on this juicy field - with the perfect pretext of informing us. But that doesn’t explain everything. While our sensitivity to violence is growing, our public policies, in an effort to better control it, are also measuring it more and more accurately.

A multidisciplinary and transversal collective work (1), published under the direction of Sophie Wintgens, Geoffrey Grandjean and Stéphanie Vanhaeren from the Department of Political Science at the University of Liège, this publication offers us a timely reminder of the fundamental role that feelings of (in)security play in today’s societies. ‘L’insécurité en question – Définition, enjeux et perspectives’ (Insecurity in question – Definition, stakes and perspectives), also offers us several new theoretical and methodological tools concerning this subject.

We know that (in)security is a classic subject of study in political science. Norbert Elias, Max Weber, Alexander Wendt, to name but a few, efforts show that, for instance, the exercise of security – a kingly and monopolistic competence of the state – is a subtle mixture of constraint and the constant search for legitimacy.

How is security exercised and guaranteed on a daily basis in political systems? Who are the players?  How does it appear? What forms does it take? Many researchers have studied these ‘objective’ questions. In addition, it was also necessary to question the (subjective) way in which citizens perceive and consider (in)security. With or without brackets...

This is the theme that is examined in detail in this work. Through a dozen or so contributions, the reader is invited to reflect on the fact that (in)security is constructed subjectively and that it can be identified, through the history of ideas, "within the framework of a theoretical and methodological questioning of the concepts and practices of (in)security(ies)". Quite some programme!

Sophie Wintgens and Geoffrey Grandjean, who coordinated the work, are two very active researchers in the Department of Political Science at the University of Liège. They insist on the following: “issues concerning security have been denationalised over time, because the threat – linked especially to terrorism – can no longer be identified solely in one country or nation. Research on the subject also needs to be redefined, by decompartmentalising it and opting for a transnational approach and multidisciplinarity”. Both researchers also point out that (in)security is a currently evolving concept. “On the one hand, the balances between security policies and fundamental freedoms are becoming increasingly complex. On the other hand, authorities sometimes tend to lose interest in these sensitive matters and call upon private players. To identify these phenomena, we have to break with the traditional view of security”!

The publication of ‘L’insécurité en question’ follows close on the heels of a symposium that was held in Liège, on 15 May 2013, within the framework of the ‘Après-midis de Recherche en Science politique’ (Political Science Research Afternoons), a forum aimed at promoting the works of young doctoral students as well as more experienced researchers. Some fifty researchers of different nationalities and backgrounds took part. No surprise then concerning the somewhat kaleidoscopic nature of the resulting work. Below is a brief overview.

(1) L’insécurité en question – Définition, enjeux et perspectives, under the direction of Sophie Wintgens, Geoffrey Grandjean and Stéphanie Vanhaeren, Presses universitaires de Liège, 2015.