Problematizing the context and construction of vulnerability and risk in relation to British Muslim ME groups

Abstract

British Muslim minority ethnic (ME) groups are perceived as holding values and beliefs distinctively different from the rest of multicultural UK. Vulnerability in these groups relates to existing material and social conditions and is contrasted to the perceived risks to British society and the State posed by religio-ethnic separatism. Such dichotomies create new textures and layers to familiar but complex concepts of vulnerability in social work. The problematization of British ME Muslims in public discourse and related social policy are critically discussed as contributing to a fluid but potentially inflammatory terrain where vulnerability and oppression are highly ambiguous and contested.ARTICLE HISTORY

Supporting vulnerable students: Staff and parents speak

“…While some scholars have cautioned against the use of the term ‘vulnerability’ in relation to young people, arguing its use can lead to stigmatisation, social control and the disempowerment of the individual, others argue that the term can be used to draw attention to the systemic issues and external factors that create problems for the individual. Identifying the systemic and external causes of vulnerability creates opportunities to develop strategies to mitigate the effects of root causes of health inequities and social exclusion (Ashencaen Crabtree, 2017; Clark and Preto, 2018).…”

‘I grew a beard and my dad flipped out!’ Co-option of British Muslim parents in countering ‘extremism’ within their families in Bradford and Leeds

“…A limited number of studies have documented detrimental impact of counterterrorism measures on Muslim families (Brittain 2009;Choudhury and Fenwick 2011;Guru 2012;Stanley and Guru 2015;Ragazzi 2016;Ashencaen Crabtree 2017).…”