Constructing Vulnerability

In collaboration with the Centre for Research in Communication and Culture (CRCC) and the Discourse and Rhetoric Group (DARG), this symposium brings together scholars from Loughborough University alongside distinguished invited speakers to interrogate the communicative construction of vulnerability and its implications for social organization and collective futures.

Info: Vulnerability denotes exposure to potential harm—a condition that, while applicable across a range of domains, assumes particular ethical and political significance in relation to human subjects. Contemporary discourse frequently designates certain populations as "vulnerable" through political, medical, or regulatory frameworks. Drawing on diverse empirical backgrounds—including digital environments, healthcare delivery, justice systems, and educational institutions—panellists in this symposium will examine the specific communicative practices through which vulnerability is produced, negotiated, and managed. Through this interdisciplinary dialogue, we aim to advance both theoretical understanding and critical reflection on how communication shapes the politics and experience of vulnerability in contemporary society.

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Host or Publisher Centre for Research in Communication and Culture