Precarity

Introduction

The word precarity is the English translation of the Italian word precarietá, the Spanish word precariedad, and the French word précarité. Other English-language forms of this word include precarious (an adjective) and precariousness (a noun). These terms stem from the Latin word precarius, which refers to something obtained through prex (prayer) or petition (Online Etymological Dictionary). The derivations from the Latin word precariuswere commonly used in the romance languages to describe something which could be granted by grace or obtained through prayers; more in general they were used in reference to circumstances that could be characterized as uncertain, insecure, and unstable. It was during the late 1980s and early 1990s that, through its use by social movement activists and critical theory academics, this concept acquired the “new” meaning that will be discussed in this entry. This new use of the term precarity encountered initial resistance in Anglo-Saxon...