The susceptibility of the vulnerable: some realities reassessed

Abstract

Purpose – This intentionally short paper considers the wide range of interpretations of “vulnerability” since its 1979 adoption in disaster studies and proposes some necessary separation and re-categorisation of its current applications. Design/methodology/approach – The short history of the use of “vulnerability” in disasters studies is examined, contrasting present day contexts with those of its earliest use. Findings – “Vulnerability” is retained for its conventional place-based role, whilst superimposed social and political constraints are allocated to “susceptibility”, a term often used to define “vulnerability”; the two terms taking on equal mutually supportive roles. Separation of the two terms is supported by on example of their realities in war and post-war conditions, together with other examples not in contexts of war. Separation of terms suggests the issue of whether manifestation of vulnerability brings about additional personal susceptibility. Research limitations/implications – Implications are that both vulnerability and susceptibility may become better understood in disaster studies and its applications in the field. Practical implications – The media is seen as a possible eventual target for a published version of this short paper so that, in time, public as well as academic readership may be reached. Originality/value – Dissatisfaction occasionally expressed regarding uses of “vulnerability” has, so far, received little radical attention.