Knowing the Past, Shaping the Future: History and the Making of Public Policy

A series of public discussions organised by the Raphael Samuel History Centre in partnership with the Bishopsgate Institute and History&Policy (Cambridge, Institute of Historical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

For other events at the Bishopsgate Institute, visit www.bishopsgate.org.uk

For ‘History&Policy’, see www.historyandpolicy.org/

 

THE SECURITY STATE

Modern western states keep a close eye on their populations. In the name of security, people’s movements are watched; their jobs, travels, finances - sometimes even their words - monitored and recorded. In Britain, as elsewhere, fear of terrorism is partly responsible for this, yet 'the security state' has been growing for many years. In this discussion, historians Jane Caplan (co-author of Documenting Individual Identity) and Edward Higgs (author of The Information State) meet with three security experts - Ross Anderson (Security Engineering, Cambridge), Sandra Bell (Royal United Services Institute), Richard Norton-Taylor (Guardian security correspondent) - to explore the rise and rise of the security state and its implications for us today.

 

This discussion took place at the Bishopsgate Institute on Thursday 19 June 2008.

You can hear the panel discussion by clicking here.

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