The Political Aspects of Solidarity Mobilizations in the Context of Shrinking Civil Society During the First Wave of COVID-19

Feischmidt, Margit and Neumann, Eszter (2022) The Political Aspects of Solidarity Mobilizations in the Context of Shrinking Civil Society During the First Wave of COVID-19. EUROPEAN SOCIETIES. pp. 1-22. ISSN 1461-6696 (print); 1469-8307 (online)

Text Feischmidt-Neumann2022ThepoliticalaspectsofsolidaritymobilizationsinthecontextofshrinkingcivilsocietyduringthefirstwaveofCOVID19.pdf Restricted to Repository staff only Download (1MB)

Abstract

This paper contributes to the literature on solidarity mobilizations and the framings of social and political change in the context of the shrinking welfare state, de-democratization, and repressive state policies towards civil society. These issues are explored through the lens of interview-based research on Hungarian solidarity initiatives that emerged in response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic between March and June 2020. We specifically look at the ways in which volunteers and activists engaged in solidarity activities associated with healthcare, care-work, and education; accounted for their aspirations; conceptualized social responsibility; and reflected on the crisis management of the state. We found that newly emerging grassroots actors reinforced the documented trend of depoliticization in civil society. Although most respondents formulated a depoliticizing narrative, they did offer interpretations of their public role and collective action, values, and responsibilities, and pronounced a desire for social change. Nevertheless, to account for these framings, we need to move beyond the binary understanding of politics in solidarity and civil society research.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item