Abstract

The aim of this essay is to mobilize the concept of disability and vulnerability, especially when they intertwine. For so doing, I will refer to experiments of care collectives as a fertile case study. The concept of interdependence will accompany the analyses of the essay—and I will account both for the richness and for the limitations it entails. First, I will address the debate on vulnerability, mainly within Feminist Theory and Disability Studies. I will take into account the risks of imposing vulnerability upon specific social groups—for example, disabled people—as it can reinforce their disempowerment and minority position. I will then examine vulnerability as an ontological and contextual phenomenon, highlighting how both are especially productive in critically addressing disability. I will also take into account how disability and vulnerability are frequently entrenched in dependence: in this regard, I will underline how care relationships, which are often considered maximum examples of dependency, can both enhance and reduce the vulnerability that can be experienced by disabled people. I will pinpoint how the narrative of vulnerability can produce neglect of disabled people’s knowledge and skills, also in the context of care. Therefore, I will focus on the value of their expertise in this field, examining examples of collective care crafted in recent years and—despite the disabling and threatening nature of the event—even implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.