This introductory essay provides an outline of the main theoretical questions in the anthropological study of risk, mass-emergencies and disasters. It is argued that what is labelled "anthropology of risk" is not so much a specific realm of inquiry as a thematic thread whose interest derives from its convergence with other disciplines and research perspectives. The primary focus of this essay is the important connections with the social construction of vulnerability and the growing field of studies dealing with the politics of risk perception.