Solidarity, Immigration & Social Class

Albanian author and political theorist Lea Ypi (London School of Economics) will talk about solidarity, immigration and social class (in English).

In the 17th century, migration as we know it never really was an issue. Today, however, it is a controversial topic. The growing skepticism is rooted in the idea that there is a trade-off between openness to immigration and support for the welfare state. So far the response to this argument has been to adapt the nation-state model of solidarity to the current political context. The two most prominent ways to do so are multicultural solidarity, on the one hand, and supranational solidarity, on the other.

Lea Ypi will present us with a third model: class-based solidarity. Why is this the more attractive response to the dilemma? How does it relate to our understanding of political community today? And why is social class so important in building bonds of solidarity?

This is lecture is part of the series The Big Questions on the social issues then and now. Read more …