ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that engaging with ignorance and radical surprises is central for the analysis of vulnerability, for both its practical efforts to reduce it as well as for better understanding and engaging in public and political contestations about its root causes. This is done by specifying, first, how, through the experience of radical surprises, vulnerabilities can be discovered. In this vein, ignorance signifies the moment when an actor, be it an individual or an organization, becomes aware of his/her/its limits of knowledge and hence becomes vulnerable. Second, the chapter turns towards underlying causes that need to be addressed in order to unveil the root causes of vulnerability. Therefore, the interrelation of “willful ignorance” and the idea of “invulnerability” are further specified. Throughout this chapter, empirical examples are introduced to support the argumentation.
