Deep solidarity is not a warm sentiment or a “let’s all get along” slogan. It’s the kind of collective connection that makes the powerful nervous because it turns everyday shared pressure into organized power.

We sit down with Professor Joerg Rieger to unpack what he means by deep solidarity and why it emerged for him out of Occupy Wall Street and the claim “we are the 99%.” Along the way, we draw a bright line between solidarity that liberates and solidarity that traps. We talk about conservative identity solidarity like nationalism and white supremacy, not just as prejudice but as a political technology that can “unite and conquer” by recruiting working people into projects that ultimately sacrifice them.

We also dig into the limits of liberal moral solidarity. When solidarity is framed as charity or guilt, it often runs on outrage and burns out fast. Deep solidarity goes deeper than moral appeals by asking what is already tying our lives together under capitalism, extraction, and exploitation. We explore why worker organizing and the solidarity of the masses is what elites fear most, and why the best solidarity never erases difference.

Finally, we take on the worry that the “99%” flattens race, gender, sexuality, ability, and other lived realities. We argue that deep solidarity only works when it treats difference as strength, learns from where suffering is greatest, and builds collective liberation without the Olympics of oppression. If you care about social justice, labor unions, community organizing, and real change, this conversation gives you language and clarity for what comes next.

Subscribe, share this with a friend, leave a review, and tell us: what would deep solidarity change in your workplace or community?

This episode of Religion and Justice was produced by Peterson Toscano Studios. Learn more about their other podcasts and projects. Visit petersontoscano.com.

About Religion and Justice
Religion and Justice is a podcast from the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt Divinity School. We explore the intersections of class, religion, labor, and ecology, uncovering how these forces shape the work of justice and solidarity. Each episode offers space for investigation, education, and organizing through conversations with scholars, organizers, and practitioners.

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