Baumanova analiza straha, grada i sigurnosti u fluidnoj modernosti / Bauman’s Analysis of Fear, the City and Security in Liquid Modernity

Abstract

This paper provides a theoretical analysis of the concept of fear within Bauman’s conception of liquid modernity. Proceeding from the assumption that fear in contemporary societies is not a temporary or transient emotional state, but rather a permanent and structural social fact, the paper examines the key elements of Bauman’s interpretation of insecurity, uncertainty, and risk. Particular attention is devoted to the relationship between individualization and the privatization of security, the transformation of urban space into a site onto which fear of otherness is projected, and the changing role of the state, which Bauman describes as the personal safety state. The paper is theoretical and interpretative in nature and does not seek to empirically test the propositions presented. Instead, it aims to analytically reconstruct Bauman’s arguments and position them within the broader sociological debate on modernity, risk, and security. It also highlights the analytical value of Bauman’s approach for understanding contemporary forms of social insecurity, while addressing its limitations in explaining the possibilities of collective responses to structurally produced fears.