Vulnerability: Floating Signifiers and Transcending Polarities

• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-74954-5_2
• Publication Date: 2021-01-01
• Authors: Rebecca Hewer
• Keywords: Skepticism; Vulnerability; Injustice

A growing body of (primarily feminist) scholarship frames ‘vulnerability’ as an inescapably constitutive feature human existence: ontology the body, which shapes our somatic, affective, and emotional experiences (Butler 2016; Cole Fineman 2008; Gilson 2011). Within this work, vulnerability provides a lynchpin concept through to rearticulate key themes in feminist theory (e.g. embodiment, relationality positionality), offering new lexicon with critically evaluate injustice (Cole 2016). These theories provide valuable counterpoints neoliberal thought, galvanising calls for politics shared, rather than personal, responsibility. With that said, many have expressed scepticism regarding progressive potential when translated into concrete political contexts (Brown 2014; Brown Wincup 2019; Carline 2012; Munro Scoular 2012). Evidence support such is readily available.