The Solidary Relationship’s Consequences for the Ebb and Flow of Activism: Collaborative Evidence from Life‐History Interviews and Social Media Event Analysis,

Abstract

Acting in solidarity with deprived others has become a central topic in social movement research. The explanations of solidarity activism or political altruism are few. However, social movement researchers have claimed that solidarity with out‐of‐group others is a by‐product of in‐group interaction. In contrast, we argue that out‐group interaction with the deprived other and the formation of a solidary relationship is central to the ebb and flow of solidarity activism. We investigate the Danish refugee solidarity movement and show that the meeting with the deprived other 1) brings about an interaction order which makes an ethical demand on the activists to care for the other both within the bounds of the situations and in the future; 2) enacts and amplifies activists’ values and beliefs because the deprived other becomes an exemplar of the injustice and the need to help the broader group of people in the same fragile situation. We develop and test this theory drawing on 42 life‐history interviews and a social media dataset containing a panel of 87,455 activists participating in refugee solidarity groups.

Crisis mapping in the “senses” arena narratives

“…Carlsen et al (2020b) emphasises the significance of social platforms in providing emotional support and has been settled as a key driver of what people comprehend and respond to (Malecki, et al, 2021;Marston et al, 2020b), particularly in circumstances of crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic. This reinforces the fact that social media is a valuable technology for coordination in times of disaster and crisis (Albris 2018;Birkbak, 2012;Carlsen et al, 2020a). Due to the extended length of the pandemic and the challenges around it, leaders could mitigate the threat by constant interaction (Rao et al, 2020).…”

“…Notably, the majority of the members of the small towns, not only continued to support their purpose but more people joined the branch. It could be conjectured that even though social media is a vital tool for communication during Covid-19 (Albris 2018;Birkbak, 2012;Carlsen et al, 2020a;Carlsen et al, 2020b), it had a minor effect on peoples' behaviour.…”

“…The coronavirus pandemic is a current and ongoing situation, which results in limited access to previous research. Thus, we reviewed previous work on management and communication crisis during uncertainty, as NPOs' managers tend to make decisions in a different way under crisis, fear, and uncertainty (Boin et al, 2020;Christensen and Laegreid, 2020;Shi et al, 2020;Haupt and Azevedo, 2021;Kye & Hwang, 2020;Malecki et al, 2021;Marston et al, 2020a;Carlsen et al, 2020a;Rao et al, 2020).…”

The Axiological Drivers to Solidarity Mobilisation in the ‘Refugee Crisis’: Between Universal Value Orientations and Moral Commitments

“…With respect to activism, social movement scholars have a long-standing debate about solidarity's role in individuals' participation in contentious politics. Solidarity in activism has been described to be grounded on identity dynamics of 'we-ness' (Tilly, 2005;Tilly, 2001;Melucci, 1996;Gamson, 1991;Gamson, 1975) and stemming from common experiences, feelings, values and moral commitments (Carlsen et al, 2020;Jasper, 2008). Hence, acting in solidarity is the result of multiple social interactions and of the individual's self-understanding (Carlsen et al, 2020;Passy & Monsch, 2020;Diani & McAdam, 2003).…”

Values, Activism and Changing Attitudes: Individual-Level Moral Development in Social Movement Contexts

“…Studies of such individual-level outcomes of activism usually depart from how participation impacts the participants (Bosi et al, 2016;Carlsen et al, 2020b;Giugni, 1998;Giugni et al, 1999;Toubøl, 2019). Not disputing the importance of the participation process itself, this leaves aside the question of how predispositions-that is, attitudes, tastes, habits, values, principles, etc., formed prior to engagement with the movement-influence not only participation but also the outcomes of movement activism.…”