“Do you belong in my circle?” – a retrospective reflexive thematic analysis of the particularity and price of solidarity for socioculturally diverse communities in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, calls for solidarity were widespread, yet its practice proved fragile and uneven. This study explores how individuals from socio-culturally diverse and often marginalized communities in the canton of Bern (Switzerland) experienced and enacted solidarity. Drawing on the conceptual works by Prainsack & Buyx and Komter, we conducted reflexive thematic analysis of seven focus group discussions with 53 participants and identified two central themes: (1) “ Commonality, gratitude and reciprocity as particularities of solidarity” , highlighting how shared values and mutual recognition shaped solidaristic practices; and (2) “Barriers, challenges and costs: the ticket to enter solidarity” , capturing affective labour, limitations of institutional solidarity, and conditions under which solidarity was withheld. Focusing on participants’ lived experiences, findings concentrate on three key insights: first, participants experienced positive aspects of solidarity—such as shared purpose and commonality—but these were often offset by emotional and social burdens; second, sociocultural and socioeconomic contexts fundamentally shaped who could afford the costs asscociated with solidaristic engagement; and third, institutional appeals to solidarity were insufficient to sustain collective action, failing to meet participants’ diverse needs and capacities. Solidarity was thus enacted in deeply situated and contingent ways, motivated by ethical and emotional imperatives, yet constrained by structural inequalities. The study underscores the need to consider both affective and socio-structural dimensions when fostering solidaristic practices, offering insights for developing context-specific and culturally responsive strategies to support collective action and social cohesion in times of crisis. • Solidarity has been a prominently featured concept during COVID-19 • Explores how solidarity was practised during COVID-19 in Bern, Switzerland • Reflexive thematic analysis of socio-culturally diverse communities’ perceptions • Identifies appreciation, commonality, and reciprocity as key solidarity drivers • Highlights emotional and structural barriers to sustained solidarity