WEEK 4: Defining Solidarity

What is the central focus of Week 4 in the course arc?

To understand solidarity using systems theory, asking how solidarity forms, adapts, and exerts power locally, nationally, and globally.

Why is solidarity treated as a theoretical and practical problem?

Because solidarity is not just a feeling—it is a relational, networked, and dynamic process that shapes social change.

What does “loopy thinking” mean in systems theory?

Understanding social processes as circular, recursive, and feedback-driven, not linear cause-and-effect chains.

What is feedback in systems theory?

Information about a difference between a current state and a desired state.

What is a feedback loop?

The circuit that carries feedback information and allows adjustment within a system.

What is homeostasis?

A system’s ability to maintain stability through feedback-driven self-regulation.

Why is feedback important for understanding solidarity?

Because solidarity is sustained or weakened through responses to signals such as success, repression, trust, or failure.

Why is cybernetics not a conventional causal theory?

Because regulation occurs through feedback loops, making it difficult to isolate single causes or effects.

How does cybernetics redefine action toward goals?

Instead of direct action, systems reduce deviations from goals gradually through feedback.

How does cybernetics explain change differently than linear theories?

By focusing on removing obstacles or counteracting disruptions rather than identifying a single cause.

What is the “workshop metaphor” in cybernetics?

Problems are addressed within the system by compensating or counteracting disturbances.

How can cybernetic thinking be applied to solidarity?

By asking:

• What feedback strengthens solidarity?

• What feedback weakens it?

• How do movements adjust when facing repression or success?

What defines an open system?`

A system that exchanges matter, energy, or information with its environment.

Why can homeostasis only exist in open systems?

Because stability requires inputs (resources, information) and outputs (waste, action).

How does this apply to social movements and solidarity?

Solidarity depends on continual interaction with environments—resources, ideas, allies, and opposition.

Why is solidarity vulnerable in closed systems?

Closed systems lack adaptive feedback and eventually stagnate or collapse.

Why must systems be understood at multiple levels?

Because complexity increases from cells → organisms → ecosystems → societies, each with distinct dynamics.

Why is society not simply an organism?

Because:

• Societies are loosely coupled

• They can undergo radical change

• Their goals are not biologically fixed

• Individuals and institutions can survive system breakdown

What does “loose coupling” mean in social systems?

Connections between parts exist but are not rigid or fully dependent, allowing flexibility and innovation.

How does Granovetter’s idea of weak and strong ties relate?

It illustrates one way social systems combine tight and loose connections to spread information and solidarity.

What is General Systems Theory (Bertalanffy)?

A meta-theory that compares different kinds of systems to identify common patterns and differences.

Why is it useful for studying solidarity?

It helps explain self-organization without assuming control from above.

How does General Systems Theory address determinism?

It recognizes both system effects and human agency operate simultaneously.

What are the three possible outcomes for systems?

1. System reproduction

2. System breakdown

3. System re-organization

What is system re-organization?

Subsystems coordinate internally and externally to create new patterns and structures.

How does systems theory define social change?

As system re-organization, not linear progress or simple reaction.

Why is social change considered “from below”?

Because non-dominant actors can coordinate to resolve contradictions within the system.

Why is social change indeterminate?

Because outcomes depend on interaction between structures, feedback, and agency.

How do subsystems exercise agency?

By creating new goals, rules, and relationships rather than simply reacting to environments.

Why can solidarity not be defined as just a feeling or value?

Because it is relational, enacted, and sustained through processes and feedback.

What are possible elements of solidarity?

• Shared goals

• Mutual recognition

• Trust

• Communication

• Coordinated action

• Adaptive learning

What boundaries shape solidarity?

Who is included or excluded, and how solidarity scales across groups and systems.

What sustains solidarity over time?

Positive feedback loops: success, shared learning, mutual support, legitimacy.

What erodes solidarity?

Negative feedback loops: repression, fragmentation, mistrust, resource depletion.

How is everyday “common-sense” solidarity different from analytical solidarity?

Common-sense solidarity is emotional and individual; analytical solidarity is systemic, relational, and process-based.

Why does systems theory matter for evaluating “desirable” solidarity?

It allows us to assess whether solidarity is adaptive, inclusive, sustainable, and transformative.