Threat and Security Production at Václav Havel Airport Prague

Abstract

Building on empirical qualitative research, this article explores the nature of
security and threat resulting from the contemporary security practice at
Václav Havel Airport Prague. The article, building on Actor-Network Theory,
interprets a security check as a chain of translation, the possibility of threat
deployment as a program of action, and activities aiming to disable threats
as a security antiprogram. Deployment of threats is further conceptualised
as a failure of a security chain implementation, its design, threat program
expectation, and the sole existence of a particular program. Considering
inflight explosions as the main threat to be identified, the article proceeds
by finding divergences between travellers and employees regarding the
subject of protection, and analyses the notion of terrorism present in
practice as well as its consequences. Security is then identified as a service
of agency take-over. The article indicates the importance of security agency
and the ANT-based inquiry enabling its exploration.