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ABSTRACT This thesis traces the development of thinking about security in the Third World from its Cold War past to its post-Cold War present. For this purpose, it examines three main approaches (traditional, Third World and critical) to the study of security in the Third World. It begins with a critical overview of political realism-based traditional (Cold War) approaches to security which treated Third World security problems as a mere extension of the superpower rivalry and shows how this served to marginalize the security concerns of Third World states and peoples. Next, it examines the contributions of Third World security scholars whose studies challenged the reductionist understanding, Western-centric character and military- focus of traditional approaches by theorizing security. Thirdly, the thesis examines the criticisms directed at Third World approaches by the students of critical security. Drawing upon the works of critical security scholars, the thesis argues that security should be conceptualized in a way that perceives the state as a means of security and gives primacy to the security needs of individuals and social groups. It concludes by underlining the importance of recognizing specific historical, social and political conditions of different contexts while adopting a global perspective for the academic study of security in the Third World.