AFSEE Incubation Labs: Let’s talk about solidarity

There are only a few words used more often in social justice spaces than the word ‘solidarity’. Usually – at least in recent years - people refer to the lack of it, or the need to build or rebuild, especially in times of climate crisis, growing inequalities, conflicts, and genocides. There seems to be a general sense of loss, as many societies have become more individualistic and politics more polarised. At the same time, there is also some sense of revival, as people and movements are coming together in new ways.

When words like ‘solidarity’ get used a lot, and their meaning seems to be taken for granted, much gets obscured. What do we really mean when we say solidarity, and what does it look like across peoples, places, and scales? Why do so many of us feel it is important and what are the obstacles and challenges? What is emerging in this moment in time and what might be examples that we can learn from? How do we show up, what do we struggle with, and what would help us in practising solidarity meaningfully - in our personal and professional lives, as well as in the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity (AFSEE) community?

Over the past 1,5 years, as part of the AFSEE Incubation Labs - initiative, a group of AFSEE Fellows has come together to discuss these questions. Each of us comes from different places, personal struggles, professional backgrounds, and questions when it comes to the topic of solidarity, but are eager to unpack, share experiences and stories, connect, practice, and ultimately reimagine solidarity. Much has emerged from the over 20 conversations that we have had. Here are some of our key learnings so far:

1. Solidarity is deeply personal (as well as political)

Our conversations confirmed that people emphasise different notions of solidarity, from taking a symbolic action to deep longstanding commitment and cross-liberation. Some make a very explicit distinction between solidarity and allyship, the ways and the levels at which people may show up, whilst others talk more about the feeling of not being alone, togetherness, and being in a community. This is exactly why, despite the existing literature and frameworks on solidarity, for this project, we wanted to focus on unpacking, problematising and reimagining rather than defining and ‘boxing in’ solidarity. We feel there is value in a collective process that embraces feelings, pluralism, and messiness when it comes to solidarity.

This also relates to the different reasons that people share on why solidarity is important and the experiences that they bring. For some in our community, it has literally meant survival, as they grew up in repressive regimes or conflict areas and found safe houses and/or protection through visibility. Others have talked about solidarity messages and material support as something that helps sustain their work and deal with the fatigue and burnout. One person referred to the potential of solidarity for cross-learning and inspiration. Simultaneously, for others with more privilege, who are looking for ways to (better) practice solidarity, it can be more about finding purpose and liberation.

2. Creating space for conversations can help us understand and practice solidarity

During this project, we have experienced that conversations can offer a much-needed space to share, articulate, reflect, be together, and build relationships that help us practice solidarity meaningfully. Sitting together, starting with our questions, dilemmas, and drivers, and then slowly peeling off layers, whilst checking in with each other and bringing in new insights and observations along the way has been very helpful. Consistently, people in this process have expressed a need for such a space as they struggle, for different reasons, with practising, offering, or (not) receiving solidarity. People also appreciate the opportunity to articulate their thoughts and feelings on the topic, realising this is something they haven’t done before.

Sharing these reflections in an informal, open space helps people feel less alone, reducing the fears that might hold us back in practising solidarity – whether for real material reasons, for fear of doing the wrong thing or otherwise. As pain and trauma can often come up in these types of situations, handling the space and conversation with care is key. Unsurprisingly, whilst we appreciated the possibility of hosting global conversations remotely, it is also very clear that being together in person is key to building stronger relationships, community, and an even deeper level of conversation.

3. ‘The Transformation from Silence to Language and Action’ (Audre Lorde)

As we were having our conversations, the bombs were dropping on Gaza, people in Myanmar were on the run outside the eye of the world, and hunger in Sudan and other places was rampant. Whilst it felt like (and was) a luxury to have the opportunity to spend so much time reflecting and sharing at a time of such great urgency, we also felt like we should be using all our time taking action. In the end, we decided that one thing doesn’t exclude the other, and the chance to reflect on our various engagements in solidarity actions or movements might help us in our practice – which was why we started this process in the first place. One of the Fellows we spoke to highlighted the paralysing that can happen when you don’t have emotional, creative, or other outlets.We feel that moving from silence to language can help foster more meaningful action for individuals, communities, movements, and institutions that are struggling with any of these questions. We recognise there is a lot of pain across our communities, as well as other places we are engaged in. We see opportunity in collective reimagination whilst practising a culture of care and repair, and we hope to be able to do more of this, invite others in and share back in these times of great need.

The views expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity programme, the International Inequalities Institute, or the London School of Economics and Political Science.