The New Solidarity: A Case Study of Cross-Border Labor Networks and Mural Art in the Age of Globalization

Fred Evans
Barbara McCloskey
Duquesne University; University of Pittsburgh

Abstract

We argue that the traditional notion of solidarity is being, and should be, replaced by “network solidarity.” This new, non-hierarchical type of solidarity links labor unions, activist organizations, progressive academic groups such as Radical Philosophy Association, and concerned individuals in relation to various endeavors including cross-border organizing. It also supports equally both modernism’s penchant for unity and postmodernism’s commitment to heterogeneity and novelty. In order to illustrate this new type of solidarity and support our claims for it, we focus on a concrete example of a cross-border labor network. Moreover, we will show how art, specifically labor murals, provides this network with the identity necessary for its cohesiveness and yet preserves the heterogeneity of the groups composing it.