ONLINE FIRST
published on August 8, 2025
Lasha Matiashvili
https://doi.org/10.5840/socphiltoday202586114
Reassessing Solidarity
Beyond Communal Belonging and Symmetrical Reciprocity
This article critically re-examines the concept of belonging, which is central to understanding individual and collective forms of solidarity. Contrary to the claim that belonging to the different groups and communities should necessarily precede, and thus provide the possibility for collective solidarity, I propose revising this paradigm by highlighting the role of asymmetricity, affectivity, and seriality in the constitution of an alternative account of collective solidarity. Additionally, despite separately analyzing and delineating contours of these alternative components of collective solidarity, my argument is that asymmetricity and affectivity are integral parts of serial collective solidarity. If belonging and reciprocity characterize social and civil forms of solidarity, and are embedded in the structure of group identification, a political solidarity presupposes asymmetricity and affective network of dissimilar subjects, which subsequently results in emergence of serial collective solidarity. The purpose of this conceptual clarification is to better understand the nature and structure of solidarity. The article argues that solidarizing, either individually or collectively, does not necessarily require symmetric esteem and group belongingness.