Category:Solidarity

While solidarity may seem the least contentious mode of human interaction discussed in the Encyclopaedia, these entries show that the comfort of belonging, of sharing an identity, also means the exclusion of others, and double standards for ‘us’ and for ‘them’. The double standards applied to ‘us’ and to ‘them’, to insiders and outsiders, differ considerably depending on the context, but a common pattern is the ambivalent nature of belonging: enabling but also constraining. The modern transformation of identity politics reveals the traps of belonging and the unintended consequences of strong ties, often resulting in conformity and cohesion not necessarily conducive to openly declared freedoms and values.