<i>‘We have something in common … it’s true’:</i> Reflections on the politics and practice of solidarities in and through ethnographic co-research

This article reflects on solidarit ies as a subject and a mode of research in the context of the privatised UK asylum system. This system excludes those seeking asylum from belonging to and in the local communities to which they are dispersed. Against this background, our research explored solidarities as imagined, practiced, and (re)constituted in negotiations of migrant deservingness in the context of asylum dispersal. Inspired by ‘patchwork ethnography’ and decolonial and feminist scholarship, we worked with a group of co-researchers with lived experience of the asylum system. Through the research, we created a space of care and mutual recognition. Drawing on ethnographic examples, we document ‘moments of repair’ and reflect on the research process, including the relationships we developed, and tensions between procedural ethics and ethics on the ground. We argue for the importance of ‘small formations’ and recognition, reasserting the humanity and dignity of people seeking asylum.