ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to disentangle whether encounters at school are mediated by – or act as catalysts for – joint struggles for good education, relationships of interdependency and shared norms and values that promote solidarity. It intends to open up part of the black box between the moment of the encounter and its potential effect under the form of solidarity. The chapter pays special attention to the sources of the solidarities and the way in which they can extend beyond the territory of the school. It describes the difficulties of the first encounters with a superdiverse school population. The chapter also aims to disentangle the development of place-based solidarities in a formal schooling environment that has rapidly become superdiverse. It discusses the multiple ways in which employees of Mater Dei have tried to address challenges related to superdiversity, multilingualism and socio-economic disadvantage.
