Solidarity Dictionary

On the traces of solidarity in language... 

Solidarity is an important concept in social and political philosophy that allows us to think about concepts such as justice, interdependence, ethics, responsibility, cooperation, obligation and resistance. The word solidarité was first used in 1840 by Pierre Leroux in a philosophical rather than religious context, and has been frequently used in this way ever since. The French philosopher Marie-Claude Blais explains it as the social bond that brought people closer together at the end of the revolution: When, for the first time, every individual became equal before the law, regardless of lineage or institution, a new discourse of solidarity developed in society. 

What attracts me to working in a dictionary format is that concepts can mean different things to different people. What values, expressions and events correspond to the concept of solidarity in the contemporary art scene I am in? Are there certain reasons or even obligations for solidarity? If so, how are they produced and how should we understand their normative power? If we find them, can we improve our methods of solidarity and create a stronger discourse together? 

The aim of this study is not to create a universal dictionary of solidarity, but to investigate the meaning of the word solidarity in Turkish and in the contemporary art scene in Turkey. The construction process of the Solidarity Dictionary is organized in four stages, and it is planned to develop cumulatively in each iteration.

In the first phase, the dictionary was tested as a demo in audio format in a collaborative work in the two-hour radio broadcast, entitled "Repression and Solidarity in Art and Culture", only in Turkish. Directed by Ekmel Ertan and produced by Eser Epözdemir, Zeynep Okyay, Seçil Yaylalı, the podcast stars Kültigin Kaan Akbulut, Asena Günal, Osman Erden and Eda Yiğit. Translation and English dubbing was done by Nafiz Akşehirli. The music was composed by Mehmet Can Özer.