Vulnerable Societies: Risks and Responses

Vulnerability has become a popular term in public and academic discourses, particularly in light of widespread diagnoses of crises. Asserting vulnerability is often linked to moral and political calls to action to prevent harm and fight social injustice. But what is the potential of vulnerability as an analytical lens in sociology? This volume brings together fourteen contributions that critically engage with the notion of vulnerability in diverse fields, drawing on the rich variety of theoretical and empirical approaches within the discipline. The contributions reflect the debates during the congress of the Swiss Sociological Association held in Muttenz/Basel in September 2024. The volume is organised along three analytical approaches: the social conditions giving rise to vulnerability; discourses about vulnerability; and vulnerability as an experience. The chapters cover a wide range of fields, including disasters, social policies, democracy, migration, health, ageing, poverty, the criminal justice system, infrastructure and technology. With contributions by Bridget Anderson, Tom Ansell, Greg Bankoff, Philomina Bloch-Chakkalakkal, David Bozzini, Jean-Michel Bonvin, Claudine Burton-Jeangros, Rainer Diaz-Bone, Pauline Dunkel, Lucile Franz, Anna Gonon, Dorothea Hilhorst, Martina Koch, Christine Matter, Nora Molinari, Eva Nadai, Claudia Peter, Fabienne Rotzetter, Claudia Scheid, Rudolf Stichweh and Dennis Wilke.