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Medical researchers around the world are involved in an unprecedented collaboration to test experimental treatments for COVID-19. When Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, announced the initiative in mid-March, he called it the \u201csolidarity trial<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Across the globe,\u00a0local expressions of solidarity appear to be spreading<\/a>\u00a0as individuals take it upon themselves to act on behalf of others in need.<\/p>\n From the WHO to government leaders\u00a0and citizen actions<\/a>,\u00a0expressions of solidarity<\/a>\u00a0may appear to be a good and common-sense\u00a0response to the crisis<\/a>. Yet, as American author Barbara Ehrenreich suggests,\u00a0fascists, religious zealots or nations at war<\/a>\u00a0also unite in solidarity to advance their agendas. Some groups can mobilize solidarity\u00a0for destructive purposes<\/a>.<\/p>\n While solidarity may be a fundamental human need, the meaning of solidarity and what it requires of us is elusive. In my work, I explore how realizing solidarity depends on education.\u00a0Teaching for solidarity<\/a>\u00a0requires\u00a0relationships, intentions and actions grounded in explicit ethical and political commitments<\/a>. I am interested in how the values that underpin these commitments define the differences between \u201cus\u201d and \u201cthem.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether we are confronting a pandemic, global warming, income inequality, racism or gender-based violence, solidarity depends on how we come together. It is defined by how we understand and enact our responsibilities to, and relationships with, each other.<\/p>\n People stand on their balconies for a physically distant show of social support amid the coronavirus outbreak, in Milan, Italy, in March 2020. (Claudio Furlan\/LaPresse via AP)<\/p><\/div>\n The word solidarity has its\u00a0roots in the Roman law of obligation<\/a>\u00a0that held a group of people bound together \u2014\u00a0in solidum<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 as equally responsible for a debt. The contemporary uses of the concept go back to the French Revolution and\u00a0the ideal of human solidarity<\/a>\u00a0articulated by philosopher and \u201cchampion of socialism<\/a>,\u201d Pierre Leroux.<\/p>\n For Leroux, solidarity was necessary for human well-being and flourishing. But in their 1848\u00a0Communist Manifesto<\/a><\/em>, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels conceptualized solidarity as an expression of the shared experience and specific political needs of the working class.<\/p>\n Solidarity has also been a central concept in\u00a0Catholic social teachings<\/a>\u00a0since the end of the 19th century. It figures prominently in liberation theology, in which\u00a0solidarity and communion with the poor is a fundamental spiritual commitment<\/a>.<\/p>\n This brief history illustrates that solidarity depends on some idea of what it means to be \u201cus.\u201d In my forthcoming book, I explore the educational challenges that arise when people invoke solidarity in colonial societies.<\/p>\n I examine what happens when solidarity is contingent on others being more like us, thinking more like us and believing what we believe.<\/p>\n German philosopher\u00a0Kurt Bayertz points to four uses of the concept of solidarity<\/a>.<\/p>\n The first, universalistic solidarity, suggests all human beings have a moral duty to work together for the benefit of all. This is implied whenever someone says \u201cwe\u2019re all in this together<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n While compelling, this view of solidarity ignores differences and potential conflict between the needs and values of different groups. It overshadows how\u00a0the impact of a crisis isn\u2019t equal among different groups<\/a>.<\/p>\n The essence of civic solidarity is that we don\u2019t necessarily have a personal relationship with those on whose behalf we take action. Civic solidarity involves an indirect commitment through taxes or\u00a0charity contributions<\/a>. Practising physical distancing is also an act of civic solidarity.<\/p>\n Lacking a personal sense of\u00a0connection to and reciprocity<\/a>\u00a0with those who benefit from civic solidarity can\u00a0undermine solidarity efforts<\/a>,\u00a0which may lead to the need for legal enforcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bayertz\u2019s third use, social solidarity, refers to how societies stick together, but also to how certain groups act together as a community to protect their interests.<\/p>\n Maclean\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0magazine contributing editor Stephen Maher suggests that in the United States, Donald Trump supporters\u2019\u00a0acceptance of the president\u2019s early response to the virus, which downplayed its possible impact, reflected low levels of social solidarity<\/a>.<\/p>\n But this is misleading. Trump\u2019s right-wing conservative supporters don\u2019t lack social solidarity. Rather, their sense of solidarity coheres around a commitment to ideals of freedom from restrictions and protecting their financial resources and investments as a way to ensure their own well-being.<\/p>\n Likewise, there is a strong sense of solidarity among conservative\u00a0religious groups that rely on Christian faith over science to protect themselves<\/a>.<\/p>\n A strong sense of social solidarity is crucial for advancing all kinds of political agendas and values.<\/p>\n Political solidarity<\/a>\u00a0revolves around issues of inequality related to class, racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination. Political solidarity usually involves one group acting in support of another, even though\u00a0groups may not be affected equally by injustices<\/a>.<\/p>\n Political solidarity raises questions about identification, privilege and\u00a0reciprocity<\/a>, as expressed, for example,\u00a0through the hashtag #solidarityisforwhitewomen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Yet the concept of political solidarity is crucial for addressing how\u00a0pandemics exacerbate existing social inequalities<\/a>. Ignoring this actually\u00a0undermines<\/a>\u00a0other forms of solidarity.<\/p>\n Whatever form we invoke, it\u2019s helpful to remember three aspects of solidarity:<\/p>\n Solidarity is always about relationships.<\/strong>\u00a0We cannot be in solidarity alone. Who are we in solidarity with and what defines that relationship?<\/p>\n Solidarity always requires us to be intentional about our commitments.<\/strong>\u00a0What is the aim of our solidarity and where do those commitments come from?<\/p>\n Solidarity requires actions that also change us, perhaps even a sacrifice.<\/strong>\u00a0What am I willing to do and give up in order to ensure the well-being of others, whether they are like or unlike me?<\/p>\n Acknowledging the ethical and political commitments that we bring to solidarity is crucial. Otherwise, solidarity can \u201cturn against us,\u201d as Barbara Ehrenreich suggests.<\/p>\n For instance, some solutions, such as physical distancing, become\u00a0impossible for communities that are already under-resourced, such as the homeless<\/a>.\u00a0Otherwise allied<\/a>\u00a0nations like Canada and the U.S. find themselves in conflict as\u00a0both seek to ensure the supply of personal protective equipment<\/a>\u00a0for health-care workers.<\/p>\n Artist Jeff Saint works on a mural of a crying eye with images symbolizing the historic coastal whaling city, New Bedford, Mass., reflected in its pupil, surrounded by coronavirus spores on March 31, 2020. He and fellow artist Ryan McFee hope to eventually replace the spores with flowers as the virus is defeated. (Peter Pereira\/The Standard-Times via AP)<\/p><\/div>\n Being explicit about ethical and political commitments will become increasingly important as governments ask us to compromise our personal freedoms and civil liberties to contain the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n Such compromises and the global character of the current crisis demand that we also\u00a0think of solidarity as creative<\/a>.<\/p>\n As the \u201ccrisis blows open the sense of what is possible,\u201d\u00a0in the words of journalist Naomi Klein<\/a>, we are forced to imagine new ways of being with one another. We also have the\u00a0opportunity to rethink our values and intentions<\/a>, and to re-narrate the stories we tell about who we are, where we belong and with and to whom we share a debt.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/milansinging.jpg\")
Equally responsible for a debt<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Universalistic solidarity<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Civic solidarity<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Social solidarity<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Political solidarity<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Three critical aspects of solidarity<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Toward creative forms of solidarity<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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