(European) Solidarity: A Realist View
by Andreas Busen (University of Hamburg)
In this paper I argue that by relying on either of two ways of conceptualizing solidarity, current research on (European) solidarity tends to ‘overlook’ inherently political forms and instances of solidarity. However, as I try to show, a third conception of solidarity, which is informed by a realist view of politics, can cover this blind spot and open up promising new research perspectives.
I begin by taking a closer look at current research on solidarity, which I argue implicitly relies on either of two different conceptions of solidarity (or, at times, a combination of them), namely ‘solidarity among’ and ‘solidarity with’. While a systematic analysis of how these two conceptions inform different research perspectives underlines the importance of taking these dimensions of solidarity into account, it also reveals that both are fundamentally moralized and thus equally have a considerable blind spot. Specifically, it turns out that actual practices of solidarity – that is, social and political acts of supporting others – cannot be fully explained as either ‘solidarity among’ or ‘solidarity with’. I therefore suggest employing a third conception according to which solidarity is understood as a particular way of supporting others in their political struggles – however, specifically without relying on a given notion of community or fixed values. Instead, or so I argue, solidarity is a form of political engagement which is precisely about questioning existing notions of membership and communal obligations as well as dominant interpretations of values (such as freedom and equality, for instance) and the political implications drawn from them. The key to developing this third way of conceptualizing solidarity lies in taking a ‘realist’ perspective on politics, as it has been advocated by a number of scholars in the last couple of years. I end by sketching out potential research perspectives opened up by employing this third conception.
I begin by taking a closer look at current research on solidarity, which I argue implicitly relies on either of two different conceptions of solidarity (or, at times, a combination of them), namely ‘solidarity among’ and ‘solidarity with’. While a systematic analysis of how these two conceptions inform different research perspectives underlines the importance of taking these dimensions of solidarity into account, it also reveals that both are fundamentally moralized and thus equally have a considerable blind spot. Specifically, it turns out that actual practices of solidarity – that is, social and political acts of supporting others – cannot be fully explained as either ‘solidarity among’ or ‘solidarity with’. I therefore suggest employing a third conception according to which solidarity is understood as a particular way of supporting others in their political struggles – however, specifically without relying on a given notion of community or fixed values. Instead, or so I argue, solidarity is a form of political engagement which is precisely about questioning existing notions of membership and communal obligations as well as dominant interpretations of values (such as freedom and equality, for instance) and the political implications drawn from them. The key to developing this third way of conceptualizing solidarity lies in taking a ‘realist’ perspective on politics, as it has been advocated by a number of scholars in the last couple of years. I end by sketching out potential research perspectives opened up by employing this third conception.
