African Studies and Human Security Revisited

Abstract

Previous studies on human security in Africa have raised three issues. First, the very concept of "human security" needs to be re-examined. The term "human"should not be interpreted simply as persons or individuals, but as people living within a community. Second, we must recognize the close relationship between human security and national security. The realities in Africa indicate that it is essential to reconstruct the legitimacy of states in order to help them to guarantee their people's security. The third issue concerns the relationship between "freedom from fear" and "freedom from want. " Most studies on human security in Africa devote their attention to "freedom from want, " focusing on development, rather than "freedom from fear. " Yet, African realities require us to investigate the threats caused by fear as well. The argument of "downside risk management, " which defines human security in terms of a comprehensive means of coping with downside risks by empowering vulnerable people, is a good contribution to such studies; however, it fails to adequately address means of coping with threats in a personal capacity, thus abandoning the public responsibility against threats.