Social and Political Philosophy (PHIL*6600)
Code and section: PHIL*6600*01
Term: Fall 2018
Instructor: Monique Deveaux
Details
Theme: Solidarity
This seminar will explore the topic of solidarity in its ethical and political dimensions. Long associated with socialism, workers’ movements, and liberation struggles, solidarity has more recently been taken up within global justice debates. Here the main questions are: How is solidarity related to distributive justice? Is solidarity primarily a local phenomenon, requiring concrete bonds of sociality? Is ‘global solidarity’ feasible, and what ethics might underpin it? We will read a variety of contemporary thinkers writing on solidarity, with a particular focus on those who address the challenges of solidarity across difference and borders. Readings may include selections from the following books: Carol Gould, Interactive Democracy: The Social Roots of Global Democracy (2016); Avery Kolers, A Moral Theory of Solidarity (2016); Tommie Shelby, We Who Are Dark: The Philosophical Foundations of Black Solidarity (2005); Sally Scholz, Political Solidarity (2012); and Lawrence Wilde, Global Solidarity (2013). In addition, we will read essays on solidarity by Jürgen Habermas, Margaret Kohn, Andrea Sangiovanni, and others.