Civic Solidarity Unbound: Reviving the Social Core

Keynote lecture by Professor Sally Scholz

Abstract: 

Civic solidarity is traditionally understood as the bonds among citizens of a polity and between the citizens and the state; it refers to the moral obligations that sustain a social core at the heart of every political community. In modern times, civic solidarity has been conceptualized alongside citizenship as a bounded concept, meaning that membership is determined by specific criteria, and benefits of membership are distributed fairly only to those who meet the citizenship criteria. Although bounded civic solidarity dominates political theory and practice, alternative models of membership are gaining traction as contemporary theorists navigate the causes of polarization in society. In this talk, I argue for a conception of civic solidarity as an unbounded concept rooted in a peace tradition and reinforced by civic practices. By shifting the focus to the practices that maintain the social core of political communities, accounts of citizenship shift from policing borders of belonging to the activity of belonging.