Vulnerability Theory and the Trinity Lectures
Institutionalizing the Individual
Martha Albertson Fineman author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bristol University Press
Publishing:27th May '25
£16.99
This title is due to be published on 27th May, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Vulnerability theory offers an alternative to social-contract and rights-based paradigms. Beginning with the corporeal body, the theory argues we are inevitably and constantly dependent on social institutions that are generated (and ideally monitored) through law. Accordingly, vulnerability theory argues for a state attentive to the needs of the universally “vulnerable subject.”
Based on lectures at Trinity College Dublin that focused on four foundational concepts, this book highlights how vulnerability theory differs from individualistic liberal frameworks.
Calling for a reorientation of law toward a collective responsibility-based approach, it is essential reading for anyone interested in political theory, social justice, and sociolegal scholarship.
“In her latest book, Fineman offers a rich and comprehensive exploration of her groundbreaking vulnerability theory, charting its evolution and expanding her analysis of its core tenets." Ellen Gordon-Bouvier FHEA, University of Exeter Law School
“These Trinity Lectures provide a compelling account of the radical possibilities that can come from centring our universal experience of vulnerability in our ethical, legal and political thought and action. This is needed now more than ever.” Michael Thomson, University of Technology Sydney and University of Leeds
ISBN: 9781529242843
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
128 pages