Is culture independent of national security? How America's national security concerns shaped 'political culture' research

The dominant, positivist, approach to the study of culture and national sec urity specifies 'culture' as an independent variable. It assumes that cultu re, and the study of culture, are uncontaminated by the politics of nationa l security. This formulation contrasts with the dominant understanding of ' culture' in the humanities, where culture and power are viewed as constitut ing a 'nexus', and where politics is claimed to shape cultural knowledge, i ncluding knowledge about culture, as much as the other way around. I demons trate the utility of the 'nexus' approach by exploring the origins of Gabri el Almond's 'political culture' research. I show that Almond built on ideas that originated in national security work, that he enjoyed an intimate rel ationship with national security agencies, that his scholarship tracked US foreign policy concerns, and that it was part of a broader Cold War cultura l formation. 'Political culture', thus, was not pure of the politics of nat ional security. I conclude by raising some questions about the 'purity' of the present literature on culture and national security.