Vulnerability Politics: The Uses and Abuses of Precarity in Political Debate

A new understanding of vulnerability in contemporary political culture

Progressive thinkers have argued that placing the concept of vulnerability at the center of discussions about social justice would lead governments to more equitably distribute resources and create opportunities for precarious groups – especially women, children, people of color, queers, immigrants and the poor. At the same time, conservatives claim that their values and communities are vulnerable to attack–often by these...