Perspectives on Security in Twentieth-Century Europe and the World

Despite the present-day attraction of ‘security' as an attention-grabbing word in politics and the public sphere, the study of security is a missing chapter in many state-of-the-art surveys of historical literature. Its central relevance for the modern statehood has been obvious for centuries in the European context. In Thomas Hobbes's mid-seventeenth-century Leviathan, written in the context of the devastating English civil war and previous religious wars, government was given the fundamental role in guaranteeing security. Over the course of the twentieth century, intellectuals have constantly debated Hobbes's ideas and concepts about security and societal peace. Especially after the second world war, security has found major attention in the fields of International Relations and its sub-discipline security studies. Security studies evolved during the nuclear age and were originally foremost about the study of the threat, use and control of military force, as one proponent of security studies, Stephen Walt, stated. They were mainly concerned with military strategy and giving policy advice to the military. Since the cold war, the study of security has come a long way. Most importantly, as Emma Rothschild has reminded us, during the past two decades or so, the concept was first extended downwards from states to individuals, upwards from the nation to the biosphere and horizontally from the military to the economic, social, political and environmental. It is the reflection of this dynamic change in theory, methodology and empirical research that connects most of the books under review in this articl

Switzerland and ‘Colonialism without Colonies.’ Reflections on the Status of Colonial Outsiders.

In this essay the theoretical focus of postcolonial theory has been shifted from the cultures and societies of former formal colonies to those countries that have an explicit self-understanding as an outsider within the European colonial power constellation. Using the example of Switzerland, it analyses the presence and perseverance of colonial structures and power relations in a country that has never been regarded as or understood itself as an official colonial power. In a first step, we compare present debates on colonialism in Switzerland with those in neighbouring countries, i.e. France, Germany, Italy and Austria. In a second step, we trace previous research that postulates a link between Switzerland and colonialism, and apply the concept of ‘colonialism without colonies’, which, in contrast, engages with methods and themes that have emerged from postcolonial studies. Finally, we present a specific case study on ‘Swiss commodity racism’ in order to elucidate the concept ‘colonialism without colonies’

Apprentices’ Resources at Work and School in Switzerland: A Person-Centred Approach

Context: Providing learners with quality resources at work and school is a key element of apprenticeships and is essential for developing vocational competencies and successful vocational careers. Drawing on previous research on situational and personal resources, we first explored work-related and school-related resource profiles of apprentices’ learning environments. We further analysed how core self-evaluations are linked to resource profiles and examined whether learners’ apprenticeship satisfaction and occupational commitment varied according to the resource profiles. Approach: We used latent profile analysis and multinomial logistic regressions, applying an integrative, person-centred approach. Our data came from the Swiss longitudinal study "Transition from Education to Employment" (TREE). The sample consisted of 1,185 apprentices enrolled in the second year of their apprenticeship. Findings: We found four profiles of situational resources (e.g., instruction quality, climate, learning opportunities, autonomy, and demands) at the two learning locations. The profiles embodied different patterns and levels of situational resources. Two profiles were characterised by overall high or average levels of situational resources at both learning locations; the other two illustrated a stark contrast between the resources provided in the workplace and at school. Learners with higher core self-evaluations were more likely to be in profiles with higher situational resources. Apprentices in more beneficial profiles were more satisfied with their apprenticeships and more committed to their occupations than those in profiles with lower resources. Conclusion: The results confirm the importance of providing apprentices with challenging, empowering, and supportive learning environments in the workplace and at vocational schools. To support learning and positive career development in apprenticeships, educators should strengthen learners’ core self-evaluations to empower them to shape their learning according to their needs