Conclusion: Reflections on Risk, Identity and the State

The chapters in this volume have demonstrated the range and diversity of sites where risk discourses now dominate both policymaking and practice interventions across social welfare services. Whether examining the construction of risky individuals or populations, the processes of identifying, categorising and regulating people’s private and public lives are well established and, to a large extent, ubiquitous. At the same time, a number of the authors have shown how the risk discourses can also be beneficial in creating spaces where discriminated groups can create a positive identity and access support and resources.