Supplemento 59 | 2023 Fragile Selves

The idea of fragility evades easy categorisations. The concept addresses something akin to precariousness and it forces us to recognise the instability of previously uncontested boundaries. For example, for Judith Butler, precarity and fragility are inextricable and bring forward the instability inherent in social relations. William E. Connolly, on the other hand, looked at fragility from an approach rooted in a critique of capitalist and neoliberal systems, highlight- ing the idiosyncrasies emerging from the impossible convergence between economic demands and human activities. Thus, when engaging with fragility, we realise the fluidity and constant change that are inherent in every aspect of our lives. These shifts are also reflected in the various theoretical conceptualisations and methodological approaches presented in this special issue. However, what we think all these articles have in common is their perspective on fragility as resistance, as a tool to enact resilience. All contributions to this issue, albeit from different angles, tackle how feelings of fragility and precarity can be reframed as an empowering tool to respond to situations of oppression and violence, both on a political and person- al level. The common thread that can be followed across the articles here presented is, therefore, that of fragility as a subversive force.