- Akwugo Emejulu, Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick; and Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, Robert Bosch Academy
- Laura Nsafou, Author and Activist, Mwasi Collectif, Paris
- Esme Allman, Poet and Theatre Maker, London
About
Solidarity is the emotional connection that binds activists together so that they can work collectively to make radical change. Building and sustaining solidarity is one of the most difficult challenges that activists face. Although solidarity is highly prized, the emotions that make solidarity possible are fraught. Working collectively, activists must try to develop a shared identity and a common purpose. However, these negotiations about who activists are and what they should do are beset by unequal power dynamics between activists derived from hierarchies of race, class, gender, sexuality, disability and legal status. Further still, these intersecting inequalities are overlaid by difficult emotions such as fear, anger, frustration and distrust as activists seek to resolve how power operates between and among their comrades.
Solidarity is both an emotional and practical problem that activists must confront to build a new world. In order to do solidarity, activists must feel it. In feeling solidarity, activists must address pragmatic questions about leadership, decision-making and dissent, strategy and tactics, organizational form and coordinated action. This workshop will be an opportunity for participants to analyze their experiences and emotions of solidarity and collectively work towards a set of principles of doing effective intersectional solidarity work.
This invitation-only workshop aims to bring together activists, policymakers, practitioners, scholars and artists working in Berlin to critically debate the perils and possibilities of solidarity.
Participation is by invitation only.
Registration for this event is closed.