Global pandemic, local solidarity: Six civic initiatives from Leipzig, Germany

Abstract

In this article we contribute to the mapping out of overall solidarity responses from below to the pandemic by giving local insight into the varied forms of neighbourly support groups in Leipzig, Eastern Germany. Having followed the trajectories of six groups between May and September 2020 with eleven semi-structured interviews, we highlight different organizational approaches, understandings of solidarity, normative horizons, transformative aspirations and practical barriers to these aspirations. We analytically map out the groups with three different sociological conceptions of solidarity (solidarity based on shared identity, as a moral duty or as a transformative political practice) and highlight their blurry boundaries in practice. We tentatively assess the transformative potential of the groups' activism and reflect on it in relation to their socio-spatial locations within the city.