Solidarity Movements

Defining Solidarity Movements

The term solidarity movement is used to cover a vast array of actors; consequently, some definitional caution is warranted. Solidarity activities are directed at situations or events that are considered to constitute large-scale human suffering, injustice, or both. These can, in a first distinction, be either man-made or natural. Man-made situations and events often involve serious and systematic human rights violations: The conflict in Darfur is an example. Nature routinely causes human suffering as well—such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the tsunami that devastated the shores of southeastern Asia in 2004.

If we take a closer look at the category of man-made situations and events, we should note some important distinctions. Movements in this group may be primarily motivated by (a) instances of human rights suffering—for example, repression of peaceful protesters in Burma in 2007; (b) political struggles and projects—for example, the Sandinistas in Nicaragua in the 1980s; and (c) economic underdevelopment—for example, poverty and malnourishment in the world's poorest countries, the focus of campaigns such as Make Poverty History and Jubilee 2000.

The latter categories are by no means mutually exclusive. For example, when the Zapatista movement in Mexico emerged in the mid-1990s, it quickly attracted attention and support from beyond Mexico's borders. Some of the organizations involved in Zapatista-related solidarity focused on one or two aspects, but many combined them, claiming, for example, that the problems of poverty among the indigenous people of Mexico could be solved only through substantial political struggle and change. Similarly, it is difficult—especially in “real life”—to draw a clear line between human rights and political struggle motivated solidarity. Whereas some organizations—such as Amnesty International—attempt to address human rights issues without taking political sides, others argue that the struggle for human rights cannot be separated from wider political struggles.

Historical Trends and Explanations

Solidarity movements have important historical antecedents, such as the antislavery movement of the 19th century. Yet there is no doubt that they became more numerous and influential after the end of the Cold War than at any other point in history. This period has generally seen a growing intensity and extensity in global relations in all areas of human life. Solidarity movements are a key element in understanding this phase of global modernity. They cannot be explained by a single factor but may be related to various general social and political trends and dynamics.

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