ABSTRACT
The pandemic exposed a global vulnerability in that everyone is vulnerable to a virus through direct interactions with other human beings. At this level, vulnerability describes the way our bodies and our social lives are interconnected and interdependent. At another level, the public health response to the virus has been to identify “vulnerable groups” that include Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities deprived of adequate healthcare throughout their lifetimes and through the long history of colonialism, exacerbated by structural racism and police violence. Thus, the pandemic highlights that for some, vulnerability to COVID-19 is exponentially heightened. Based on the work of theorists like Butler, Levinas, Fanon, and Mbembe, I will discuss how reciprocal recognition of vulnerability could serve as an alternative to person-centered approaches and as a foundation of care in nursing.
