Summary
Contents
This book has already proved itself as a course adoption leader in Childhood Studies. All of the strengths of the First Edition have been retained. The book is comprehensive and judged with the needs of students in mind. It is a model of clarity and precision and has been acknowledged as such in reviews and course feedback. The new edition thoroughly revises old entries and adds new ones. The book is the most accessible, relevant student introduction to this expanding, interdisciplinary field. It is an indispensable teaching text and an ideal prompt for researchers.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability
A state of weakness, of being at risk from harm and therefore in need of protection.
Vulnerability is a concept that has little or no specific meaning in the absence of some qualifying condition: in other words, a person or a thing is only vulnerable in relation to something specific. Thus a castle may be strong in terms of its fortifications but vulnerable in terms of a siege; an army may be strong in terms of its size but vulnerable to guerrilla attacks; or a person may currently be strong physically or mentally but vulnerable to, for example, imminent attack from behind or a long-term predisposition to senile dementia. Vulnerability is therefore a concept that generally only derives its meaning when considered in the context of ...
