A Gossamer Consensus: Discourses of Vulnerability in the Westminster Prostitution Policy Subsystem
| Author | Rebecca MF Hewer |
| DOI | 10.1177/0964663918758513 |
| Published date | 01 April 2019 |
| Date | 01 April 2019 |
Article
A Gossamer Consensus:
Discourses of Vulnerability
in the Westminster
Prostitution Policy Subsystem
Rebecca MF Hewer
University of Edinburgh, UK
Abstract
Within much feminist scholarship, the concept of vulnerability is understood to possess
progressive potential. Troubling Liberalism’s individualism, vulnerability theorists con-
ceive of the subject as situated and formed through her various relational dependencies.
Concurrently, the term vulnerability appears in much contemporary social policy. An
emergent literature suggests, however, that policy and academic representations of
vulnerability diverge in ideologically significant ways. In this article, I make a significant
contribution to this body of work. I explore how 21 prostitution policy actors and 4
prostitution policy documents represent vulnerability, as they understand it to pertain to
the sale and purchase of sex. I trace the many narratives strands which contribute to
policy conversations regarding vulnerability and conclude by suggesting ‘vulnerability’ has
become a ‘floating signifier’ – a surface of inscription encompassing contradictory
political projects. Despite this, I suggest that the feminist ‘lens’ of vulnerability may
provide us with a new way to understand prostitution debates.
Keywords
Critical discourse analysis, feminism, floating signifier, prostitution, sex work, social
policy, vulnerability
Corresponding author:
Rebecca MF Hewer, Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Old Medical School,
Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK.
Email: rebecca.hewer@ed.ac.uk
Social & Legal Studies
2019, Vol. 28(2) 227–249
ªThe Author(s) 2018
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/0964663918758513
journals.sagepub.com/home/sls
Introduction
The concept of vulnerability warrants close scrutiny on three grounds. First, within much
feminist scholarship, the concept is celebrated for its progressive potential, particularly
its capacity to challenge liberal frames of subjecthood, disadvantage and privilege (But-
ler, 2014, 2016; Fineman, 2008; Fineman and Grear, 2013). Second, though the term
enjoys routine use in Westminster policy – prompting Brown (2014) to herald the arrival
of a ‘vulnerability zeitgeist’ and Munro and Scoular (2012) to speak of an ‘explosion’ in
vulnerability discourse – it has drawn relatively little attention in policy scholarship
(Brown, 2014). Third, it appears to carry divergent meaning across academic and ‘main-
stream’ political conversations (Cole, 2016; Munro and Scoular, 2012; Timmer, 2013).
This article explores each ground via an exploration of the Westminster prostitution
policy subsystem
1
to offer fresh insight into the significance, signification and politics of
‘vulnerability’.
Specifically within this article, I contend that ‘vulnerability’ has become a ‘floating
signifier’ (Worsham and Olson, 1999: 1), an open and fluid discursive space within
which the ongoing and contested process of meaning making takes place. I illustrate
this point by exploring the apparent consensus which has developed regarding the
vulnerability of women who sell sex. In sum, the vast majority of policy actors –
regardless of their perspective on the illicit sex trade – agree women in prostitution are
vulnerable and that something should be done about it. This, I contend, is a gossamer
consensus maintained via the envelopment of competing discourses by one signifier.
Consequently, I suggest that ‘vulnerability’ performs a certain kind of political work
within the prostitution policy subsystem, allowing successive Westminster governments
to appear responsive to (often progressive) stakeholder perspectives, while simultane-
ously promoting an essentially neoliberal frame.
Despite this, I contend that a feminist narrative of vulnerability continues to provide a
progressive analytical lens which facilitates a potent critique of neoliberal conceptions of
the subject and her context. I demonstrate the utility of this lens by critically employing it
in service of my analysis. Furthermore, I contend that the same lens allows for a reima-
gining and reorganization of competing feminist representations of prostitution, provid-
ing new ways of thinking through a seemingly irreconcilable dispute. My reflections
regarding Westminster prostitution policy discourses arise from data generated via 21
interviews with prostitution policy actors and the documentary analysis of 4 prostitution
policies.
In the first half of this article, I discuss feminist narratives of vulnerability, focusing
on the work of sociolegal theorist Fineman (2008, 2013). I explore the central themes of
Fineman’s ‘vulnerability thesis’ before surveying salient critiques. Here, I outline how
my own work affirms and moves beyond these critiques. Thereafter, I provide a brief
background to contemporary prostitution policy debate, highlighting its suitability as a
substantive context for an exploration of vulnerability politics. In the latter half of this
article, I discuss my findings, touching upon data collection before engaging in an in-
depth and critical analysis. I begin by presenting my analysis of four Westminster
prostitution policy documents. Thereafter, I discuss my interviews, exploring policy
actor discontent with, and deployments of, ‘vulnerability’.
228 Social & Legal Studies 28(2)
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