Sociology of vulnerable groups. Around the concept of "vulnerability"

In the announced issue, we propose to address the following problems:

- What are the main dimensions and aspects of "vulnerability"? What challenges do translators of the concept of "vulnerability" face - susceptibility to discrimination, fragility, sensitivity to threats?

- What research methods are best for examining vulnerability to discrimination and threats?

- How have the ways of defining and understanding "vulnerability" changed?

- What social groups can be studied through the prism of the concept of susceptibility to discrimination and threats? What are the benefits of applying the concept to migrants, sick and disabled people, minorities?

- How can the perspective of vulnerability to discrimination and threats be applied beyond sociology: in political science, anthropology, psychology, economics? What potential does this concept offer in interdisciplinary research?

- How is the phenomenon of vulnerability to discrimination and threats demonstrated in individual case studies?

We welcome both works based on empirical research and theoretical analyses. In the special issue, we also draw attention to related concepts and their relationships with the concept of vulnerability to discrimination and threats. The concept of intersectionality is particularly noteworthy. It concerns how an individual's social situation is influenced by the coexistence of various dimensions of social position, such as belonging to a minority, disability or uncertainty of legal status. The combination of different characteristics that lead to potential marginalization can trigger new forms of discrimination. Intersectionality is also a research challenge: it requires combining different methods, ethical sensitivity and analytical skills. Individual narratives about personal experiences and life trajectories can reveal new dimensions of the concepts of vulnerability and intersectionality. On the other hand, public narratives (political and media discourses) can show new patterns of understanding and responding to vulnerabilities to discrimination and threats at the institutional level.

Over the last few years, Europe has witnessed various crises that have affected many aspects of social life, including social groups considered underprivileged: the migration crisis of 2015, the Covid-19 pandemic, the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine and crises at the borders of the European Union. Governments and institutions of the host countries had to make decisions that they believed were the answer to the crises. The development of the concept of "vulnerability", which occurred in the era of research focused on the causes and social consequences of crises, opens new possibilities for the analysis and interpretation of social phenomena.

 

Language of articles: Polish or English

Deadline for submitting texts: September 30, 2024

Editors of the issue: Katarzyna Andrejuk (Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, katarzyna.andrejuk@ifispan.edu.pl) and Monika Nowicka (Collegium Civitas, monika.nowicka@civitas.edu.pl)

The issue is created in cooperation with the Section of the Sociology of Migration of the Polish Sociological Association