Barry Buzan
Encyclopedia
Barry Gordon Buzan is Montague Burton Professor of International Relations
at the London School of Economics
and honorary professor at the University of Copenhagen
and Jilin University
. Buzan sketched the security complex theory as well as the Regional Security Complex Theory
and is therefore together with Ole Wæver
a central figure of the Copenhagen School
.
(COPRI). From 1995 to 2002 he was research Professor of International Studies at the University of Westminster
, and before that Professor of International Studies at the University of Warwick
. During 1993 he was visiting professor at the International University of Japan
, and in 1997-8 he was Olof Palme Visiting Professor in Sweden.
He was Chairman of the British International Studies Association
1988-90, Vice-President of the (North American) International Studies Association 1993-4, and founding Secretary of the International Studies Coordinating Committee 1994-8. Since 1999 he has been the general coordinator of a project to reconvene the English school of International Relations, and from 2004 he is editor of the European Journal of International Relations. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the British Academy
, and in 2001 he was elected as an Academician of the Association of Learned Societies in the Social Sciences.
Besides, he is engaged as Advisor in Fair Observer, an online magazine covering global issues from a plurality of perspectives, on editorial policy and public policy issues.
and Canada
, Buzan is a graduate of the University of British Columbia
(1968) where he started an uncompleted master programme. He received his doctorate at the London School of Economics (1973). He describes his political views as social democratic and his religious views as extreme secularist.
Buzan's wife, Deborah Skinner, is an artist and youngest daughter of psychologist B. F. Skinner
. They have no children. Mind map
writer Tony Buzan
is his brother, with whom he co-authored the 'Mind Map Book'.
Montague Burton Professor of International Relations
The Montague Burton Professorship of International Relations at the University of Oxford is one of the two main professorships of International Relations created by the endowment of Montague Burton in UK universities. The Oxford chair was established in 1930 and is associated with a Fellowship of...
at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
and honorary professor at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
and Jilin University
Jilin University
Jilin University is a leading national university under the direct jurisdiction of China's Ministry of Education.-History:Founded in 1946 as the Northeast College of Administration in Harbin, Heilongjiang, Jilin University merged with many Universities and colleges and changed its name many times...
. Buzan sketched the security complex theory as well as the Regional Security Complex Theory
Regional Security Complex Theory
Regional Security Complex Theory is a theory of regional security advanced by Barry Buzan and Ole Waever in their 2003 work Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security....
and is therefore together with Ole Wæver
Ole Wæver
Ole Wæver is a professor of International Relations at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen. He has published and broadcast extensively in the field of international relations, and is one of the main architects of the so-called Copenhagen School in International...
a central figure of the Copenhagen School
The Copenhagen School (international relations)
The Copenhagen School of security studies is a school of academic thought with its origins in international relations theorist Barry Buzan's book People, States and Fear: The National Security Problem in International Relations, first published in 1983. The Copenhagen School places particular...
.
Career
From 1988 to 2002 he was Project Director at the Copenhagen Peace Research InstituteCopenhagen Peace Research Institute
The Copenhagen Peace Research Institute was a Danish research institute established in 1985 by the Danish Parliament. Its aim was to support and strengthen multidisciplinary research on peace and security. Established as an independent institute, in 1996 became a government research institute...
(COPRI). From 1995 to 2002 he was research Professor of International Studies at the University of Westminster
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
, and before that Professor of International Studies at the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
. During 1993 he was visiting professor at the International University of Japan
International University of Japan
The is a private university located in Minami-Uonuma city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.IUJ is the first, and one of the few Japanese universities which run their courses entirely in English. It was founded in 1982, primarily with the aim of providing a platform for delegates from all over the...
, and in 1997-8 he was Olof Palme Visiting Professor in Sweden.
He was Chairman of the British International Studies Association
British International Studies Association
The British International Studies Association is a learned society that promotes the study of international relations and related subjects through teaching, research, and facilitation of contact between scholars. BISA has an international membership where 40 countries are represented. The current...
1988-90, Vice-President of the (North American) International Studies Association 1993-4, and founding Secretary of the International Studies Coordinating Committee 1994-8. Since 1999 he has been the general coordinator of a project to reconvene the English school of International Relations, and from 2004 he is editor of the European Journal of International Relations. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
, and in 2001 he was elected as an Academician of the Association of Learned Societies in the Social Sciences.
Besides, he is engaged as Advisor in Fair Observer, an online magazine covering global issues from a plurality of perspectives, on editorial policy and public policy issues.
Research Interests
Buzan defines his interests as:- the conceptual and regional aspects of international securityInternational securityInternational security consists of the measures taken by nations and international organizations, such as the United Nations, to ensure mutual survival and safety. These measures include military action and diplomatic agreements such as treaties and conventions. International and national security...
; - international history, and the evolution of the international system since prehistory;
- international relations theory, particularly structural realism;
- international society, and the 'English School' approach to International Relations.
Works
Buzan has published extensively, his most important works include:- People, States & Fear: The National Security Problem in International Relations (1983; revised second edition 1991)
- The Logic of Anarchy: Neorealism to Structural Realism (1993) with Charles Jones and Richard Little
- Security: A New Framework for Analysis (1997) with Ole Waever, Jaap De WildeJaap De WildeJaap H. de Wilde is a Professor of International Relations and World Politics at the University of Groningen. From 2001 to 2007 he was professor in European Security Studies at the Department of Political Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and from 1995-2007 he was senior research fellow in...
- The Arms Dynamic in World Politics (1998) with Eric Herring
- The Mind Map Book (2000) with Tony Buzan
- Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security (2003) with Ole Waever
- The Evolution of International Security Studies (2009) with Lene Hansen.
- Non-Western International Relations Theory: Perspectives on and beyond Asia (2010) editor with Amitav Acharya.
Personal
Holding the citizenships of Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Buzan is a graduate of the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
(1968) where he started an uncompleted master programme. He received his doctorate at the London School of Economics (1973). He describes his political views as social democratic and his religious views as extreme secularist.
Buzan's wife, Deborah Skinner, is an artist and youngest daughter of psychologist B. F. Skinner
B. F. Skinner
Burrhus Frederic Skinner was an American behaviorist, author, inventor, baseball enthusiast, social philosopher and poet...
. They have no children. Mind map
Mind map
A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Especially in British English, the terms spidergram and spidergraph are more common, but they can cause confusion with the term spider diagram used in mathematics...
writer Tony Buzan
Tony Buzan
Anthony "Tony" Peter Buzan is an author and educational consultant. He is a proponent of the techniques of Mind Mapping and mental literacy. He claims to have worked with "corporate entities and businesses all over the world; academics; Olympic athletes; children of all ages; governments; and...
is his brother, with whom he co-authored the 'Mind Map Book'.