As the title suggests, social ethicist Rebecca Todd Peters provides a concise starting point for reflecting upon and practicing a theologically based ethic of solidarity. The demanding yet hopeful aim of this book is to provide both individual and structural parameters for solidarity of privileged people from the Global North, and of the US more specifically, with marginalized persons and communities from the Two-Thirds World. Peters claims early on that this ethic “requires First World citizens to work simultaneously on transforming personal habits and lifestyles as well as global economic and political structures that perpetuate inequality and injustice” (2). The foundations of the book and of her ethic of solidarity support three pillars: a critical understanding of social location and privilege, the construction of relationships across lines of difference, and action for structural and systemic change.
Solidarity for Peters is as intentional as it is self-critical, which is the first pillar of the book. After an introduction and first chapter defining and outlining globalization and solidarity, Peters critically unpacks social location to identify potential dangers that might undermine solidarity. Some dangers include moral superiority of the haves as well as paternalism toward the have-nots. To this end, she pushes past the language of charity in pursuit of her deeper ethic. In chapters 2 and 4 she provides a serious engagement with social location and privilege to begin a process of moral reasoning capable of “thinking beyond the immediate needs to ask deeper questions about the causes of a problem” (41). This upstream thinking will require an intentional engagement with poverty, environmental degradation, and centers of inequality such as racism that are pervasive in many forms of globalization.
Dialoguing across our many lines of difference without collapsing them is the middle pillar of this book. Such dialogues require metanoia, honoring difference, accountability, and direct action—all in the greater service of reshaping “all the structures of industrial society in ways that are compatible with life on Earth” (57). Taken together, these characteristics pave the way toward establishing mutuality across difference in the direction of what Peters means by solidarity.
The third pillar of the book is action, and, consistent with the liberationist tenor present in Peters' other works, she provides constructive action strategies to help her audience envision possible ways forward. These ways include establishing moral habits of daily living, embracing more heterodox models of the economy, and creating communities of solidarity in which Christian churches become relevant actors in the global work of justice.
To fully appreciate the contribution of this book one must continually listen for the notes of its intended audience. With intentionality, Peters writes this book to theologically sensitive First World citizens already familiar with the language of consumption and charity. Yet she writes in such a way as to convince this audience that there is much work to be done if “we” (herself included) are to join hands in solidarity with people in the Two-Thirds World. For example, in her introduction she provides a very generous reading of Adam Smith and his contribution to Western values and public policies. However, by the end of the book she doesn't let her readers walk away without telling them that her visions for a more heterodox approach to economic life stand in complete contrast to Smith's invisible hand. By favorably connecting with a normative theorist and theory, Peters demonstrates her willingness to speak a language close to the hearts of many in her audience. In so speaking, Peters establishes a point of commonality that itself can be the basis of solidarity across differences.
Ultimately, Peters initiates a conversation about solidarity and provides some essential tools for helping her readers become more discerning and deliberate actors for social justice both at home and around the globe. What the book lacks in length and theme development, it makes up for in thought-provoking invitations for the reader to work through the meanings and actions of solidarity. As such, this could be a broad and useful resource for religious communities and undergraduate students, while the diverse and global reach of Peters' bibliography could make this a helpful tool in some graduate settings as well.
