Urban security evolves differently across different geographic, political, and cultural contexts. It is informed by different logics and can produce different effects both within and across boundaries. As a result, we require more nuanced approaches when studying the global (re)configuration of urban security.

That was among the main takeaways from our second global governance colloquium this this academic semester, entitled “Securing cities, re-defining theories: The politics of control in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.”

On Monday 15 October 2018, Jonas Hagmann, SNSF Ambizione Fellow, Senior Researcher and Lecturer at ETH Zürich, presented the latest findings from his in-depth and multi-method research in the North African city. It is part of a broader project that explores security across various global cities, from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Zurich, Switzerland.

The Graduate Institute’s Dennis Rodgers, Research Professor in Anthropology and Sociology, acted as discussant for the colloquium, which attracted over 30 participants.

The rich presentation and ensuing discussions highlighted important aspects of state-society relations in the governance of (in)security, and how fine-grained research of specific cases might shape theoretical development.   

Global Governance Colloquium Series

The Global Governance Colloquium Series aims to build a denser research community by providing scholars of governance issues a platform to present and discuss works in progress across disciplinary boundaries. The colloquia take place biweekly on Mondays over lunchtime.