5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

Since risk implies a desire for change and necessitates action, employing the terminology of risk can often involve an exercise of power. Labelling something as a risk or risky suggests that it should be prevented, mitigated, or at the very least, managed. Moreover, uncertainty prompts the anticipation of certain risks in the future. This forward-looking perspective extends the influence of risk definition beyond the narrow scope of risk analysis. It serves the dual purpose of pre-empting an uncertain future and regulating the present according to the ideologies and norms of those who have the power to define what and who is 'at-risk' or 'risky' in that imagined future. Additionally, the distribution and impact of risks are unequal; they tend to follow and reinforce existing structural inequalities. As structural inequalities increase, the vulnerability of certain groups and individuals becomes a significant theme in contemporary human rights discussions (see for example UN, 2020). In this context, risk becomes a powerful tool for maintaining the status quo or enforcing change, depending on who wields the power to define it. This includes violence, which is part of the risk society discourse.