Trapped: Life under Security Capitalism and How to Escape It by Mark Maguire (ePub) (Nonfiction)
Authors: Mark Maguire & Setha Low
Publication Date: March 19, 2024
Category/Genre: Nonfiction, Anthropology, Politics, Security Studies

Trapped: Life under Security Capitalism and How to Escape It is a concise, narrative-driven critique of the global rise of "security capitalism"—a system in which security is commodified, privatized, and deeply embedded in everyday life. Anthropologists Mark Maguire and Setha Low draw on ethnographic case studies from around the world—ranging from Nairobi to New York, Glasgow to San Antonio—to reveal how security has become a dominant organizing principle, shaping neighborhoods, airports, cities, and even individual psychology.

The book argues that the proliferation of security measures—gated communities, private guards, surveillance technology, and militarized policing—does not actually make society safer. Instead, it fosters fear, segregation, and inequality, while enriching private interests and undermining democracy. The authors term this phenomenon "security capitalism," which they see as broader than "surveillance capitalism" because it encompasses not just data collection, but the entire industry of security products, services, and ideologies.