Emergency: A Vernacular Contextual Approach

Abstract Security scholars have traditionally viewed emergency as a state of exception that triggers struggle for survival, justifying the breaking rules and excesses power. While there been attempts to decouple security from its survivalist logic, has remained an analytical blind spot in studies. The dominance elite-centric, exceptionalist paradigm study foreclosed possibility alternative conceptions neglected voices structurally disempowered agents. This paper advances vernacular contextual research agenda is sensitive empirical diversity meanings practices while foregrounding claims made by non-elite actors. Challenging idea form “anti-politics,” contends should be understood intrinsic part politics. It then recovers alternative, “emancipatory” conception extraordinary moment spontaneous beginnings can activate collective agency marginalized final section establishes conceptual foundations actor-centered, grounded into politics suggests avenues future research. Contextualizing attuning experiences everyday actors are crucial remove key variable ties logic survival exception.