Cultural Security, A Concept beyond National Security & Human Security

This paper seeks to examine conceptual domain, main components, and performance levels of cultural security and to reach an appropriate delineation for this concept. Thus, we proceed by reviewing culturally oriented definitions and approaches of security, and then turn to examining the interaction between two areas of culture and security. In the next section, several points are discussed. First, we have tried to present a definition for cultural security, a definition that we hope to be worthy of note. Second, we study the governments’ motivations for paying attention to national cultural security. Thirdly, we attempt to reflect on the threats to cultural security at the national level, and then we examine the environment and different levels of cultural security. The final point to consider in this section is that we present and assess the model for provision of cultural security. The final section of the paper deals with the concept of cultural security in a framework that focuses on human security. Then upon offering components for human cultural security, we pay attention to its interaction with the concept of national cultural security. In the end, the Islamic approach to human security and human cultural security is discussed briefly. This discussion takes place within the confines of two major source books on Islamic narration; Osoul-e Kaafi; and Vasael al-Shia.