The concept of social marginalization is deeply rooted and widely used in the social sciences, although it has also faced criticism in academic literature. Among other things, it is criticized for being ambiguous and stigmatizing, for serving as a label. In this article, the author explores how people identifying with sociology and socio-cultural anthropology understand and relate to the term “social marginalization.” She grounds her analysis in unstructured interviews with sociologists and anthropologists who have conducted research with people described in the literature as socially marginalized or vulnerable, and on this basis reflects on whether the concept remains useful to the social sciences and humanities.
