Helfen und Kritik. Das Verhältnis von Solidarität und Wohltätigkeit in der Hilfe für Geflüchtete

From the perspective of social critique, helping others can be controversial. If aid is not accompanied by a political critique – it is argued – it can stabilise the status quo rather than contributing to social change. One-sided helping relationships reproduce symbolic inequalities and entail the risk of paternalism. Activists therefore seek to help in solidaristic ways instead of charitable ones. Ideally, solidarity is based on reciprocity, which is difficult to realise – particularly in unequal relationships. In this article, the author outlines solidaristic and charitable concepts of helping others before discussing three contrasting cases of volunteers aiding refugees: activists on the Greek island of Lesbos, civil sea rescue operations in the Mediterranean, and volunteers in villages in the rural federal state of the Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. The duration of the aid differs in these cases, which affects the importance of reciprocity between helpers and recipients of help as well as their concepts of solidarity.