SISG: The Security and Intelligence Studies Group
Although espionage and the activities of secret services have long been of interest to the public and journalism, it is only since the mid-1970s that they have been the object of systematic academic research. The study of security and intelligence has developed as an inter-disciplinary field drawing upon contributions from history, political science, law, peace and defense studies and sociology.
Within the field there are two main traditions. One is the historical approach, mainly dealing with the role of intelligence in time of war, and the other is the political science/international relations concern with intelligence policy. The former has been dominant in the UK whilst the latter has been more influential in North America. The purpose of the SISG is to promote the development of policy-orientated studies of intelligence and security services whilst drawing on the comparative and historical tradition.
