info@ceris.be    +32(0)2 537 40 75   +32(0)471 726 505
E-community
E-learning

Professor Christian Olsson

Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Director of REPI
International Relations, War, Conflicts, Security, international political sociology, historical sociology of security practices, contemporary military doctrine.

Biography

Professor Christian Olsson is Lecturer in International Relations at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), affiliated to its REPI research unit. He is associate editor of French journal of international political sociology Cultures & Conflits. Drawing in particular on (critical) security studies and sociological approaches, his research focuses on the colonial genealogies of contemporary military doctrine, the historical sociology of security practices and the role of private military companies in recent overseas military interventions, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq where he has carried out field-research. His recent publications include: ‘“Legitimate Violence” in the Prose of Counterinsurgency: An Impossible Necessity?’ (Alternatives: Global, Local, Political, May 2013).

Présentation des recherches
1°) Axes théoriques:
  • sociologie historique de l’Etat (Elias, Tilly, Bourdieu…) et théorie des relations internationales;
  • a problématique de la légitimation de la violence et sociologie des conflits;
  • études critiques de sécurité, cartographie des pratiques de sécurité.
2°) Champs empiriques:
  • doctrine et pensée militaire (Etats-Unis, France, Royaume-Uni) relative aux missions de “pacification externe” (contre-insurrection, stabilisation etc.);
  • la privatisation de la sécurité dans le contexte des opérations extérieures: sociétés militaires privées…;
  • plusieurs recherches de terrain en Afghanistan et en Irak.
Travaux sélectionnés

Christian Olsson, « Coercion and Capital in Afghanistan: The Rise, Transformation & Fall of the Afghan Commercial Security Sector » in J. Berndtsson & C. Kinsey, The Ashgate Research Companion to Outsourcing Security: The Role of the Market in 21st Century Warfare, Aldershot: Ashgate, Forthcoming 2015

Christian Olsson, “Wars among Nation-States: Patterns and Causes”. In: James D. Wright (ed), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2nd edition, Vol 25. Oxford: Elsevier, 2015, pp. 420–427

Christian Olsson, “Between Transition and Transnationalism: The Spatial and Temporal Ramifications of Contemporary Armed Conflicts”, Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding (Taylor & Francis), vol 8, n°1, 2014, 91-99.

Christian Olsson, “‘Legitimate Violence’ in the Prose of Counterinsurgency : an Impossible Necessity?””, Alternatives: Global, Local, Political (Sage), vol 38, n°2, 2013, p. 155-171 (article dans revue scientifique internationale à comité de lecture)

Christian Olsson, “France: Making Both Ends Meet?” in Leander, Anna (ed) Commercialising Security: Political Consequences for European Military Operations, London & New York: Routledge, 2013, p.141-160 (partie d’ouvrage collectif)

Thierry Balzacq, Tugba Basaran, Didier Bigo, Emmanuel-Pierre Guittet & Christian Olsson, “Security Practices” in Robert A Denemark (éd.) International Studies Encyclopedia (ISA Compendium). Blackwell Publishing, 2010 (partie d’ouvrage collectif)

Gilles Dorronsoro, Christian Olsson & Raphaël Pouyé,  Insurrection/ Contre-insurrections: éléments d’analyse sociologique à partir des terrains afghan et irakien, Paris: IRSEM, 2012 (ouvrage publié en collaboration)