The Role of Solidarity in the Processes of Social Change for Quality of Life in South America

The chapter begins with a personal journey in search of the role of solidarity in the author’s personal and professional life, leading to the analysis of how this value affects the processes of social change to achieve quality of life. Quality of life is currently defined as a multidimensional concept comprising a number of domains that people consider and evaluate differently according to the importance they give to each domain in their lives. This definition incorporates both a quantitative-objective approach that shows what people actually possess and can be observed directly, and a qualitative-subjective approach that shows what people feel and can be observed indirectly (Tonon 2020). But quality of life is also conditioned by the social structure, considered in terms of demographic features, cultural traits, and psycho-social characteristics of the community and those of its private and public institutions operating within that context (Ferris, 2006). Social change is a multidimensional concept focused on the solution of problems and involving a structural modification in the relationships between the elements of a system. Solidarity has been conceived as the cohesion and integration of a group, or as individual emotions and attitudes that explain this cohesion. Considering this, the chapter presents the opinions of a group of seminarians of the Catholic Church who reflect on solidarity in South America as an important value that furthers the processes of social change for quality of life. Finally, it presents a proposal to consider international research networks as a community space for the common good, considering the role played by solidarity.