Dear Andrea and group,
There seems to be a need to bring the work of Michel Foucault into
this discussion. As Andrea points out vulnerability is an
individualising concept that picks out certain individuals as "having"
vulnerability and she argues for a situational understanding of risk.
I would like to add to this by suggesting that vulnerability is also a
totalising concept that groups people together in various categories
of social pathology. Vulnerability calls for in-depth knowledge about
the vulnerable group - their number, their symptoms, their habits,
their behaviours, their relationships and so on. All of this
information then supports a heightened surveillance so that harm can
be prevented from occurring. In a similar way to the function of the
poor house and the asylum (see Foucault's Madness and Civilization),
vulnerability does not only impact those who are labeled as
"vulnerable" but it figures social relations as one where autonomy can
be restricted (to protect from harm) where socially undesirable
behaviours are evident. However, according to Foucault measurement and
surveillance do not serve to describe what was already there but
construct the very object of study. By knowing the "vulnerable" in
detail, it becomes possible to act in their own best interests with
the operation of power concealed by the caring professional stance. I
think that the concept of vulnerability could well be examined as an
instance of the operation of bio-power and the work of Nikolas Rose
would be very helpful in this respect. I suspect that we would find
that vulnerability has a relationship to neo-liberal notions of
personal responsibility and economic productivity. I realize there is
a lot to be though through here and this is just a stab at it in the
company of the list.
Judy
On 30 Nov 2010, at 12:33 PM, Andrea Hollomotz wrote:
> Dear Helen and group
>
> I’m coming to this debate rather late and I have very much enjoyed
> reading the responses. I share many of the views that were
> expressed. To add to this debate, Angharad Beckett has written about
> ‘vulnerability’ as a state of being that affects everyone, not just
> particular groups. She asserts that ‘vulnerability’ is inherent to
> all humans. I also find comparisons to spatial analysts useful, as
> they conceptualise ‘vulnerability’ in much more general terms. For
> example, Bankoff et al (2004) do not see it as specific to
> particular sections of society but rather as a relationship that
> humans have with their social environments. Dunn et al. (2008)
> believe that ‘vulnerability’ can be both, inherent and situational,
> so it can be part of who we are, but also arise from social
> contexts. For instance, I may get very drunk tonight and that state
> of being makes me more ‘vulnerable’ in many respects.
>
> I have recently completed a PhD study that deconstructed assumptions
> about inherent sexual ‘vulnerability’ of people with learning
> difficulties. I investigated how the assumption of ‘vulnerability’
> leads to the social creation of actual ‘vulnerability’. For
> instance, someone may be seen as sexually ‘vulnerable’. We therefore
> protect them from consenting sexual encounters and information about
> sexuality. Yet, when that person is confronted with an actual
> unsought sexual approach they will have less knowledge to draw on to
> enable them understand what is happening.
>
> To pick up the point about the term we should use instead, I think
> ‘vulnerability’ is not a helpful concept. As many others said, it is
> a label and it can mean anything to anyone, as there are so many
> different definitions. As I agree with Beckett that we are all
> ‘vulnerable’ I also do not find it helpful to single out a person
> and label them as such. It’s like labeling someone as ‘human’.
> What’s wrong with being ‘vulnerable’?
>
> I think if potential risk to harm is identified, we should just name
> it as that: risk. ‘Vulnerability’ is an individualizing concept,
> almost a stigma attached to a person. Risk can be inherent to an
> individual. It can arise from socialization processes (such as lack
> of information on how best to protect oneself). It can arise from
> particular situations and wider social contexts. In other words:
> Risk allows us to see beyond individual ‘vulnerability’.
>
> Identifying a solution to reduce risk is of cause a much more
> complex task than merely responding to individual ‘vulnerability’.
> We need to consider many more factors and many more solutions. If we
> say someone is sexually ‘vulnerable’ because they lack understanding
> of sex and sexuality our response is often to protect them.
> Paradoxically the act of protecting a person can increase
> situational risk (e.g. easily exploitable dependency relationships).
> If we move beyond an individualizing approach we can see that
> someone may be at risk because they have had little chance to learn
> about sex and sexuality. This can then be addressed by rectifying
> risk arising from socialization processes.
>
> Best wishes, Andrea
>
>
> References
>
> Bankoff, G., Frerks, G., & Hilhorst, D. (2004). Mapping
> vulnerability: disasters, development and people. London: Earthscan.
>
> Beckett, A. E. (2006). Citizenship and vulnerability: disability and
> issues of social and political engagement. Basingstoke: Palgrave
> Macmillan.
>
> Dunn, M. C., Clare, I. C. H., & Holland, A. J. (2008). To empower or
> to protect? Constructing the 'vulnerable adult' in English law and
> public policy. Legal Studies, 28(2), 234-253.
>
> Hollomotz, A. (2009). Beyond 'Vulnerability': An Ecological Model
> Approach to Conceptualizing Risk of Sexual Violence against People
> with Learning Difficulties. Br J Soc Work, 39(1), 99-112.
>
> Hollomotz, A. (forthcoming, March 2011). Learning difficulties and
> sexual vulnerability: A social approach. London: Jessica Kingsley
> Publishers.
>
> Hollomotz, A. (forthcoming, late 2010). Vulnerable adults? The
> social creation of risk to sexual violence. In T. Sanders & R.
> Schuttleworth (Eds.), Disability and Sexuality. Leeds: The
> Disability Press.
>
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