Securitization as a nation-building instrument

Abstract

Processes of national identity construction have often been neglected by the International Relations field, dwelling on an artificial dichotomization between majority and minority groups, which tend to mask other kinds of social polarization and fragmentation. Through the application of the concept of weak states, as proposed by Buzan and Holsti, and of the securitization theory, we aim to establish a link between two phenomena: the existence of spaces where the idea of the state (national consciousness) is persistently weak among the different collectivities inhabiting the same territory, and the transformation of minority groups into internal threats, in order to encourage a positive (albeit unstable) identification towards the state within the perceived majority. In other words, it will allow us to understand how collective identities, namely state identities, are forged and reinforced through securitization. By acknowledging this link and the lack of national cohesion as a source of insecurity, we allow for a desecuritization of minorities and their rights and we are able to focus on the marginalization and exclusion of other groups, often hidden behind an emergency discourse towards minorities.