ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that social exclusion as a social science concept is closely intertwined with social exclusion as a central, but changing, political concept. It focuses on development and the use and changing meaning of social exclusion as a concept within both EU policy and the social sciences. The chapter examines the importance of social exclusion as an analytical tool viewed in relation to globalisation, international migration, citizenship and ongoing transformation of the labour market and welfare state. It discusses the concept of 'precarity' as a potential alternative to 'social exclusion' and examines it as a tool for political understanding of the social vulnerability of our time. The chapter scrutinises the notion of social exclusion, together with its twin concept, social inclusion, their origins and shifting perspectives. It finally describes the contemporary 'migrant precariat' with insight from the current reality of Swedish migration policy.
