The Trials of Solidarity: A Defence

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities around the world, "solidarity" has become a rallying cry, invoked by everyone from world leaders and politicians to academics and community organizers. Bandied about in different ways for a plethora of purposes without a clear definition, these calls for solidarity are often diffused and largely ignore how the very forces that have exacerbated the impact of the pandemic have also put solidarity itself on trial. Making sense of these trials requires a complex understanding of solidarity and a recognition of the contradictions that underly the many uses of the concept. This article traces different understandings of solidarity and points to the promises and opportunities, as well as the puzzles and challenges, that each understanding suggests. The article concludes with a set of questions about solidarity that must be asked as we navigate the global pandemic.