The Concept of Solidarity: Emerging from the Theoretical Shadows?
| Author | Lawrence Wilde |
| Published date | 01 February 2007 |
| Date | 01 February 2007 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-856x.2007.00275.x |
| Subject Matter | State of the Discipline |
The Concept of Solidarity: Emerging
from the Theoretical Shadows?
Lawrence Wilde
The concept of solidarity has been relatively neglected by social scientists since Durkheim’s pioneer-
ing work in the late 19th century. The discipline of politics has been guilty of overlooking this
‘subjective’ element of community life, but recent works by Stjernø and Brunkhorst reflect a
growing awareness of the theoretical significance of the concept. Whereas early liberal attempts to
theorise solidarity took the nation state to be the appropriate community for its realisation, the
emergence of globalisation raises the possibility of human solidarity developing in the global
community. Traditional forms of solidarity have been dissipated by the social changes accompany-
ing globalisation, but they were often locked into the defence of particular interests. New forms may
be emerging to rekindle the broader vision of human solidarity. Recent work by writers such as
Habermas, Honneth, Rorty and Touraine focuses on widening and deepening democratic partici-
pation and/or the articulation of our ethical obligations in various ways. It is argued here that these
perspectives need to be supplemented by a radical humanist approach grounded in a normative
theory of human self-realisation.
The concept of solidarity was first brought to prominence within social science by
Emile Durkheim when The Division of Labour in Society appeared in 1893, and it has
received sporadic attention within the discipline of sociology ever since (see Crow
2002). However, within the discipline of politics there has been no comparable
interest, as Steinar Stjernø points out in his recent history of the concept (Stjernø
2004, 20). The appearance of books by Stjernø and Hauke Brunkhorst (Brunkhorst
2005) has gone some way towards rectifying this lacuna, one which is all the more
surprising given the ubiquity of the word in 20th-century political life. ‘Solidarity’
seems to have been confined to the realm of rhetoric while serious theoretical work
has concentrated on other aspects of political association such as democracy,
nationalism, community, multiculturalism and human rights. In essence, solidarity
is the feeling of reciprocal sympathy and responsibility among members of a group
which promotes mutual support. As such it has subjective and emotional elements,
and this helps to explain its conceptual neglect, for, as John Baker et al. have
argued, within a liberal theoretical framework, solidarity is associated with ‘love’
and ‘friendship’, essentially private matters which individuals should be left to work
out for themselves (Baker et al. 2004, 28). However, there should be no justifica-
tion for failing to give due consideration to the nature of the collective action which
has helped shape institutions and policies within states, and which is now recon-
stituting itself in response to the challenge of globalisation.
The advance of individualism poses a clear threat to the idea of solidarity, as Stjernø
points out (Stjernø 2004, 2). A serious concern about the consequences of the
weakening of social bonds has drawn an energetic academic response with the
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-856x.2007.00275.x BJPIR: 2007 VOL 9, 171–181
© 2007 The Author. Journal compilation © 2007 Political Studies Association
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