David Campbell (Australian political scientist)
David Campbell is an Australian political scientist known for his work on international relations, visual politics, and critical security studies. He is currently Professor of International Politics in the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland.
Campbell's scholarship is primarily concerned with the interplay of identity, ethics, and power in the context of global politics. He has made significant contributions to the development of visual approaches to security studies, exploring how images, particularly photographic and cinematic representations, shape our understanding of danger, threats, and the "other."
His most influential work is arguably Writing Security: United States Foreign Policy and the Politics of Identity (1992, revised edition 1998). In this book, Campbell argues that U.S. foreign policy is fundamentally intertwined with the construction of national identity. He analyzes how the United States defines itself by defining what it is not, creating external "others" that serve as a constant reminder of American values and boundaries. This process of othering, he contends, is crucial for maintaining a sense of national unity and purpose, but also leads to problematic and often violent interventions in the international sphere.
Campbell's work has been highly influential in shaping the field of critical security studies, prompting scholars to critically examine the assumptions and power dynamics that underpin traditional approaches to security. His focus on visual culture and the politics of representation has opened new avenues for understanding how security is constructed and experienced in the contemporary world.
Key Publications:
- Writing Security: United States Foreign Policy and the Politics of Identity (1992, revised edition 1998)
- National Deconstruction: Violence, Identity, and Justice in Bosnia (1998)
- Politics Without Principle: Sovereignty, Ethics, and the Narratives of the Gulf War (1993)