Introduction: Understanding Transnational Solidarity
Transnational solidarity represents a powerful idea in global activism — a promise that people across borders can unite to support each other’s struggles for justice, equality, and freedom. However, as compelling as this idea is, the reality of practicing solidarity is far more complex. It involves navigating deep power imbalances, cultural differences, and conflicting strategies. This article explores how transnational solidarity plays out on the ground, drawing lessons from a 2016 mission where a group of female activists sailed to Gaza to break the blockade and show support for Palestinians.
While the goal was unified, the mission revealed how diverse experiences and political views shape what solidarity means for different people. Issues like race, gender, privilege, and historical context influenced the activists’ interactions, sparking debates on whether non-violent resistance is the only legitimate form of struggle. These tensions highlight the need for more thoughtful and inclusive approaches in transnational solidarity work.
Transnational Solidarity-The Women’s Boat to Gaza: A Microcosm of Global Power Dynamics
The Women’s Boat to Gaza (WBG) was a symbolic act of resistance, aiming to challenge the Israeli blockade with a peaceful message. Thirteen women from various countries, backgrounds, and struggles came together for nine days at sea, each bringing her unique perspective. Despite sharing a common cause, the group faced significant internal conflicts over strategy, ideology, and the meaning of peace and resistance.
For some, peace was inseparable from non-violence; for others, resistance included the right to take up arms against oppression. The group’s discussions revealed how power relations extend beyond borders and into activist movements themselves. The tensions exposed how privilege and positionality shape whose voices dominate and whose are marginalized, complicating collective action.
Transnational Solidarity-Silencing and Solidarity: When Unity Suppresses Diversity
One of the critical challenges faced by the activists was the pressure to conform to a singular narrative of peace and non-violence. This expectation came largely from the more privileged members, mostly from the Global North, who viewed their stance as universally applicable. However, this rigid viewpoint ended up silencing alternative perspectives, especially those from activists in the Global South who had experienced violent resistance as part of their histories.
The failure to hold space for these differences created fractures within the group and raised important questions about what true solidarity looks like. Is it about unanimous agreement, or can it accommodate diverse tactics and political beliefs? The experience suggested that without recognizing and engaging with difference, solidarity risks becoming superficial, reinforcing existing hierarchies instead of challenging them.
Transnational Solidarity- Encounter with Injustice: The Gaza Interception
Just as the boat neared Gaza, Israeli forces intercepted the Women’s Boat to Gaza, preventing the activists from reaching their destination. The group was detained, subjected to harsh treatment, and separated along racial and national lines. While some were allowed limited freedoms, others—mainly Black activists and those without diplomatic support—were confined to small cages, revealing how inequalities persist even within movements of solidarity.
This incident underscored the painful reality that solidarity missions do not occur in a vacuum but are deeply entangled with global power structures. The activists’ different experiences of incarceration highlighted the need for a solidarity that is conscious of intersectional oppression—one that acknowledges how race, nationality, and privilege shape the possibilities and limitations of collective action.
Transnational Solidarity-Questions on Strategy: Who Decides in Solidarity Movements?
The experience on the boat and in detention raised pressing questions about decision-making in transnational solidarity. Who sets the agenda? Whose voices are prioritized? The activists grappled with these issues, realizing that the success of solidarity requires not only shared goals but also inclusive processes that respect differences and power imbalances.
Effective solidarity means moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches and creating spaces for dialogue where conflicting views can be aired and negotiated. This requires humility, openness, and a willingness to challenge privilege—qualities essential for building genuine alliances across borders and cultures.
Transnational Solidarity: The Complexity of Solidarity and Self-Interest
Solidarity is often described as acting for others, but the line between solidarity and self-interest can be blurry. Activists must constantly navigate the tension between advancing collective goals and addressing their own needs and safety. The Women’s Boat to Gaza mission illuminated this dynamic, showing how personal histories, political contexts, and strategic choices intersect in complex ways.
Recognizing this complexity is crucial for developing solidarity practices that are sustainable and respectful. It means embracing the messy realities of activism, where compromise and contestation coexist with commitment and care.
Transnational Solidarity: Building Bridges Across Differences
Transnational solidarity calls for deliberate efforts to build understanding across diverse experiences and identities. Activists must cultivate empathy and engage in continuous learning to grasp the nuances of struggles that may differ vastly from their own. This bridge-building is not a passive act but an active, ongoing process that demands vulnerability and a willingness to be challenged.
Such efforts help dismantle stereotypes and reduce the risk of imposing external frameworks onto local movements. By honoring local knowledge and leadership, solidarity can become a genuine partnership rather than a hierarchical relationship.
Transnational Solidarity- Power and Privilege: Challenges Within Solidarity Movements
Power imbalances within solidarity movements mirror the broader inequalities activists seek to address. Privilege—whether based on race, nationality, gender, or class—can shape who leads conversations and whose agendas dominate. Awareness of these dynamics is critical to avoid replicating exclusion and marginalization within progressive spaces.
Addressing these challenges requires intentional reflection and action, such as rotating leadership roles, amplifying marginalized voices, and practicing accountable communication. Without these steps, movements risk alienating participants and undermining their own goals.
Transformative Solidarity: Beyond Symbolic Acts
True solidarity moves beyond symbolic gestures to embrace transformative change. It entails not only standing with others in moments of crisis but also challenging systemic injustices that perpetuate oppression. This means linking local struggles to global systems and working collectively for structural shifts.
Transformative solidarity is rooted in shared struggles for liberation and justice. It encourages activists to rethink traditional alliances and imagine new forms of collaboration that are more equitable and effective.
Inclusive Decision-Making: Who Gets to Decide?
One of the fundamental challenges in transnational solidarity is determining who holds the decision-making power. Inclusive decision-making requires recognizing diverse voices and creating spaces where marginalized perspectives can influence strategy and actions. Without this, solidarity risks becoming an imposition rather than a collaboration.
For instance, in many solidarity efforts, those from more privileged backgrounds may unconsciously dominate conversations, sidelining those with lived experience of oppression. Addressing this imbalance is crucial for building trust and effective collective action.
Linking Local and Global Struggles
Solidarity is most powerful when it connects local issues with global systems of power. Activists must understand how their struggles fit into broader contexts and how global dynamics affect local realities. This connection strengthens movements and helps foster global accountability.
For example, insights from Insight Mauritius News on green transition initiatives illustrate how local environmental actions are deeply linked with international policies and economics, emphasizing the importance of this global-local nexus. For a broader understanding of international solidarity movements, see this Amnesty International resource on global solidarity.
Challenges of Navigating Difference
Navigating differences in culture, politics, and history is an ongoing challenge in solidarity work. These differences can cause misunderstandings or conflicts if not addressed openly and respectfully. Solidarity requires patience, humility, and continuous dialogue to bridge gaps and build unity.
Recognizing that no single approach fits all contexts helps activists adapt strategies that honor local realities while maintaining shared goals.
Solidarity as a Practice of Care and Accountability
Beyond political alignment, solidarity involves care, responsibility, and accountability towards one another. It means checking privileges, supporting each other’s wellbeing, and being willing to confront uncomfortable truths within movements.
This ethic of care strengthens bonds and sustains long-term activism, ensuring that solidarity is not just a slogan but a lived, transformative experience.
Conclusion: Toward a More Just and Effective Solidarity
Transnational solidarity holds immense potential to amplify struggles against injustice worldwide, but only if it embraces complexity, difference, and power dynamics with honesty and openness. It demands constant reflection on who gets to decide and how diverse voices are included.
Building solidarity is not about erasing differences but weaving them into a stronger, more vibrant collective fabric. By committing to inclusive practices, genuine dialogue, and shared accountability, activists can create partnerships that are both respectful and effective.
As we move forward, the lessons from missions like the Women’s Boat to Gaza remind us that solidarity must be rooted in humility, care, and a relentless pursuit of justice—qualities that transform activism from a mere act into a powerful force for global change.
Ultimately, the future of solidarity depends on our ability to listen deeply, act boldly, and remain committed to uplifting all voices, especially those historically marginalized or silenced.
