A fearful engine of power: Conceptualizing the communication–security relationship

This essay isolates and explores a growing body of communication research concerned with ‘security.’ It opens by defining this concept, and discussing recent geopolitical and interdisciplinary trends contributing to its association with communication. It subsequently reviews distinctive engagement with ‘security’ displayed in five disciplinary subfields, including strategic communication, discourse analysis, public argument studies, rhetoric, and critical-cultural communication studies. It concludes by providing four sets of recommendations for future development of this research program.