Reflecting on the Principles and Problems of Solidarity
Reflecting on the Principles and Problems of Solidarity

Arto Laitinen and Anne Birgitta Pessi (eds.), Solidarity: Theory and Practice, Lexington Books, Lanham, 2015. / Keith Banting and Will Kymlicka (eds.), The Strains of Commitment: the Political Sources of Solidarity in Diverse Societies, Oxford Univer

Summary/Abstract: This review essay takes a critical look at two recently published edited volumes, both focusing on the notion and problems of solidarity. Solidarity: Theory and Practice (Laitinen and Pessi, eds.) attempts to unpack the complex idea of solidaristic practice by looking at a whole range of related concepts, such as the social brain, collective intentionality, empathy, work, and voluntary organizations. The Strains of Commitment: The Political Sources of Solidarity in Diverse Societies (Banting and Kymlicka, eds.), on the other hand, focuses on a concrete problem: the generation and maintenance of redistributive solidarity within societies marked by diversity. Still, both volumes take a thorough and systematic look at existing scholarship on solidarity, and by encompassing both the theoretical and the empirical, mark a significant step forward in deepening our understanding of the role and place of solidarity in general social theory.

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