Contested Perspectives on Vulnerability: Which Groups Are Vulnerable and Why?

This introductory chapter sets the context for the discussions in subsequent chapters by analysing some literature on conceptualising vulnerability, as well as examining the types of individuals and groups now defined as vulnerable. There are many and varied definitions on this very contentious and politically charged concept, and historically different individuals and groups have been categorised as vulnerable from different professional, policy and academic perspectives. As editors we are interested in drawing out the antecedents and ways of analysing what it is to be Vulnerable in 2020 in different contexts and examining why it is an important topic for academic enquiry. Moreover, we want contributors to consider how policy makers and front-line professionals respond to the rise in vulnerable individuals, depending on the specific context under the microscope, who is attempting to define it, but more importantly, the types of policies and decisions to be implemented in dealing with a ‘wicked issue’, that has many unintended consequences of policy action (or inaction).