Doing and undoing risk: the mutual constitution of risk and heteronormativity in contemporary society

Abstract

This paper develops the concepts of 'doing' and 'undoing' risk, a new approach to risk research that echoes the 'doing gender' of gender studies. In this way, we combine intersectional and risk theory and apply the new perspective to empirical material. To better explore the doing and undoing, or the performance, of risk, we will refer to practices that simultaneously (re)produce and hide sociopolitical norms and positions, played out in contemporary, hierarchical relations of power and knowledge. The aim is to develop a theoretical understanding of doing and undoing risk. The study makes use of transcripts from five focus group interviews with men and women, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of different ages living in Sweden to develop a theory of 'doing risk'. The doing of risk of our informants takes place within the frame of a hegemonic heteronormativity. The way that risks are perceived and done in everyday life therefore always needs to be read within a frame of prevailing structures of power. This counts for all of us as we are all part of the hegemonic power structures and thereby are both subject to the intersecting doings of risk and performatively reproducing these power structures in practice.

Following Routines: A Challenge in Cross‐Sectorial Collaboration

“…In this situation, both the rescue organizations and the elderly care personnel will through their actions to strengthen the norms appropriate to the situation and become part of the ‘doing’ of crisis management (cf. Giritli‐Nygren, Öhman, & Olofsson, forthcoming), e.g., they will socialize the constructions and beliefs of how a crisis is to be managed, constructions that are influenced by how crisis management is understood in society. If, as proposed by Kapucu () and Comfort et al.…”

“…The study also shows that professionals in a crisis situation respond to what is known to them, and therefore training exercises should consider acknowledging this and train the ability to interact with and make use of other profession's knowledge and thoughts about the situation, rather than focusing too much on how to handle and ‘act’ in the situation, e.g., focus on ‘undoing’ the norms of what crisis management is and ‘redo’ what it could be in the situation (cf. Giritli‐Nygren et al., forthcoming).…”

(De)politicising pregnancy-related risk: gender and power in media reporting of a maternity ward closure

“…At the meso-level, the theory of 'doing risk' has been used to analyse risks as practices from an intersectional perspective (Giritli Nygren, Öhman, & Olofsson, 2017). Intersectional feminist theory was developed by black and post-colonial feminists in the late 1980s, and has since been used to analyse oppression and privilege as the result of multiple overlapping power structures.…”

Unrecognized crisis management—Normalizing everyday work

“…For praxis, the context in which the “doing” takes place is important (cf. Giritli‐Nygren, Öhman, & Olofsson, ).…”