2023
KNOWLEDGE CLIPS
SOLIDARITY
AND SOCIAL
JUSTICE
,SOLIDARITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Knowledge clip 1.1
SOLIDARITY - HISTORICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL ROOTS
Historical roots of solidarity
- Shared aims and interests (common identity), practical (depend on each other) and
normative (expect from each other)
- Family / kinship
- Fraternity (brotherhood)
- from Christian to political value
- Community (voluntary association with others)
- Gemeinschaft: shared life experiences (work, community); Community; a
willingness to share resources
- Gesellschaft: to society (solidarity as a moral principle underlying society (and
the welfare state))
Sociological roots of solidarity
- Solidarity: sociological critique of social contract (Hobbes, Locke, Spencer)
- Social contract: implicit societal agreement about sharing resources
- Leroux, Comte, Tönnies
- Shared values
- Solidarity as an integrative mechanism in society
- Durkheim
Durkheim: Mechanical vs organic solidarity
Mechanical solidarity
- Pre-industrial (traditional) society (agri-culture)
- Little di erentiation - sameness - people have somewhat the same lifestyle
- Collective consciousness - shared set of believes, norms and ideas
- Material element: people are alike
- Subjective element: people think alike
Organic solidarity
- Modern (industrial) society
- We rely more on others, we are not all the same (di erentiation)
- Specialization / high degree of di erentiation / division of labour
- Individual consciousness
- Interdependence - we’re become aware how dependent we are from others
1
,SOLIDARITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Knowledge clip 1.2
FORMS OF SOLIDARITY - A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Forms of solidarity
1. Human solidarity (ties, naturalistic foundation (families))
2. Social solidarity (cohesive element in society, integrative mechanism, what keeps
us connected within society)
3. Political solidarity (active, standing up for their shared interests, collective action)
4. Civic solidarity (welfare state, redistribute resources, focuses on the applications of
the welfare state to show solidarity, normative aspect of solidarity)
Exclusive vs. inclusive solidarity
- Exclusionary in-group solidarity (between group of common interests, excludes
those who do not share the same interests)
- Inclusionary out-group solidarity (solidarity with groups who do have di erent
interests)
- Example: refugees from Ukraine vs. other countries
- Exclusionary in-group solidarity: De vluchtelingen uit Oekraïne zijn nu in Nederland,
dus we zijn allemaal inwoners van Nederland (in-group) maar we sluiten hen buiten
(exclusionary) omdat zij anders zijn.
- Inclusionary out-group solidarity: De vluchtelingen uit Oekraïne zijn anders dan wij
(out-group) maar we betrekken hen erbij (inclusionary).
With whom are we solidaristic?
- Citizenship rights (citizenship over charity)
- Social citizenship rights; right to employment, education, houses etc.
- Civil citizenship rights; guarantee our right to equality under the law
- Boundary drawing
the process of including or excluding others based on social, economic, political
and/or cultural lines between “us” and “them”. Who deserves protection from the
welfare state and who not?
2
, SOLIDARITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Knowledge clip 1.3
THE SOCIAL IDENTITY APPROACH: THE BASIS
Social identity Approach
- Individual Identity (what makes you unique) vs. social Identity (group based)
- Based on social identity we make: Ingroups vs. outgroups
- Minimal group paradigm (more points to their own group than the other group) (you
start acting as a group, competition) (prefer your own group)
- Functions of groups:
- Uncertainty reduction / sense-making / guidance how you should act and trust
- A iliation / need to belong
- Optimal distinctiveness
- Striving for positive self-concept
Social identity approach consists of two theories:
1 Social Identity Theory (intergroup behavior)
- Striving for positive self-concept —> in-group favoritism & out-group derogation
2 Self Categorization Theory (intragroup behavior)
- How do people choose which identity to adopt
- Activation of identity based on: accessibility (situational cues) & it (which identity its
best)
Social identity threats
- Distinctiveness threat - Group distinctiveness is prevented or undermined
- Group-value threat - The group’s (moral) values or competence are undermined
- Categorization threat - Being categorized against one’s will
- Acceptance threat - One’s position within the group is undermined
- Degree of threat in luenced by: Level of identi ication with the group
3
KNOWLEDGE CLIPS
SOLIDARITY
AND SOCIAL
JUSTICE
,SOLIDARITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Knowledge clip 1.1
SOLIDARITY - HISTORICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL ROOTS
Historical roots of solidarity
- Shared aims and interests (common identity), practical (depend on each other) and
normative (expect from each other)
- Family / kinship
- Fraternity (brotherhood)
- from Christian to political value
- Community (voluntary association with others)
- Gemeinschaft: shared life experiences (work, community); Community; a
willingness to share resources
- Gesellschaft: to society (solidarity as a moral principle underlying society (and
the welfare state))
Sociological roots of solidarity
- Solidarity: sociological critique of social contract (Hobbes, Locke, Spencer)
- Social contract: implicit societal agreement about sharing resources
- Leroux, Comte, Tönnies
- Shared values
- Solidarity as an integrative mechanism in society
- Durkheim
Durkheim: Mechanical vs organic solidarity
Mechanical solidarity
- Pre-industrial (traditional) society (agri-culture)
- Little di erentiation - sameness - people have somewhat the same lifestyle
- Collective consciousness - shared set of believes, norms and ideas
- Material element: people are alike
- Subjective element: people think alike
Organic solidarity
- Modern (industrial) society
- We rely more on others, we are not all the same (di erentiation)
- Specialization / high degree of di erentiation / division of labour
- Individual consciousness
- Interdependence - we’re become aware how dependent we are from others
1
,SOLIDARITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Knowledge clip 1.2
FORMS OF SOLIDARITY - A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Forms of solidarity
1. Human solidarity (ties, naturalistic foundation (families))
2. Social solidarity (cohesive element in society, integrative mechanism, what keeps
us connected within society)
3. Political solidarity (active, standing up for their shared interests, collective action)
4. Civic solidarity (welfare state, redistribute resources, focuses on the applications of
the welfare state to show solidarity, normative aspect of solidarity)
Exclusive vs. inclusive solidarity
- Exclusionary in-group solidarity (between group of common interests, excludes
those who do not share the same interests)
- Inclusionary out-group solidarity (solidarity with groups who do have di erent
interests)
- Example: refugees from Ukraine vs. other countries
- Exclusionary in-group solidarity: De vluchtelingen uit Oekraïne zijn nu in Nederland,
dus we zijn allemaal inwoners van Nederland (in-group) maar we sluiten hen buiten
(exclusionary) omdat zij anders zijn.
- Inclusionary out-group solidarity: De vluchtelingen uit Oekraïne zijn anders dan wij
(out-group) maar we betrekken hen erbij (inclusionary).
With whom are we solidaristic?
- Citizenship rights (citizenship over charity)
- Social citizenship rights; right to employment, education, houses etc.
- Civil citizenship rights; guarantee our right to equality under the law
- Boundary drawing
the process of including or excluding others based on social, economic, political
and/or cultural lines between “us” and “them”. Who deserves protection from the
welfare state and who not?
2
, SOLIDARITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Knowledge clip 1.3
THE SOCIAL IDENTITY APPROACH: THE BASIS
Social identity Approach
- Individual Identity (what makes you unique) vs. social Identity (group based)
- Based on social identity we make: Ingroups vs. outgroups
- Minimal group paradigm (more points to their own group than the other group) (you
start acting as a group, competition) (prefer your own group)
- Functions of groups:
- Uncertainty reduction / sense-making / guidance how you should act and trust
- A iliation / need to belong
- Optimal distinctiveness
- Striving for positive self-concept
Social identity approach consists of two theories:
1 Social Identity Theory (intergroup behavior)
- Striving for positive self-concept —> in-group favoritism & out-group derogation
2 Self Categorization Theory (intragroup behavior)
- How do people choose which identity to adopt
- Activation of identity based on: accessibility (situational cues) & it (which identity its
best)
Social identity threats
- Distinctiveness threat - Group distinctiveness is prevented or undermined
- Group-value threat - The group’s (moral) values or competence are undermined
- Categorization threat - Being categorized against one’s will
- Acceptance threat - One’s position within the group is undermined
- Degree of threat in luenced by: Level of identi ication with the group
3
