On the Interrelation between Vulnerability and Violence. Phenomenological Approaches to Perceptions of Violence in Heterogeneous Phases of Life

In recent decades, the phenomenon of vulnerability has received considerable attention in the fields of philosophy and ethics, but also increasingly in childhood studies and gerontology (see Mackenzie et al. 2014; Butler 2010; Andresen 2014; Heite & Magyar-Haas 2020). In philosophical works (Mackenzie et al. 2014), it is assumed, that human existence is conditioned by vulnerability due to the sociality and dependency of the body. Bodily beings are vulnerable because they depend on others and on their ‘responses’ and care. In addition to this ontological argument, it is emphasised that dependence on the care of others varies according to the different phases of life. Human vulnerability is always situated in concrete social and political conditions. This brings into focus another form of vulnerability that is specific to situations, contexts and social structures. The interconnection of these two – ontological and relational – dimensions of vulnerability can be seen in the argument that humans, as social and emotional beings, are exposed to humiliation, abuse, and so on, and as socio-political beings, to political violence (Butler 2010). Concepts of violence – as well as concepts of childhood and old age – are embedded in historical, social and cultural contexts and are subject to their orders and ordering arrangements. Based on phenomenological perspectives (Staudigl 2014), the paper addresses the following questions: Which distinctions – with regard to the heterogeneous phases of life – are considered relevant when it comes to what matters as violence? Which forms of interaction, humiliation and (institutional) discrimination against children and old people are perceived as violence? By linking the two ages, the aim is to go beyond the bodily and symbolic dimension of violence and also to explore those vulnerabilities and violations that result from what is not yet or no longer articulated, considered or recognised as violence.