So-so-so! Solidarité! Making activists at the Collectif Sans-papiers Belgique

Abstract This chapter examines how the Collectif Sans-Papiers Belgique (SPBelgique) enables precarious agency among undocumented migrants in Brussels. It describes the collective’s meeting practices, protest planning, and daily operations, illustrating how members can overcome obstacles to participation and become politically active. The chapter details the symbolic and strategic use of public spaces, alliances with unions and other civic actors, and the cultivation of solidarity through shared routines and mutual aid. At SPBelgique, potential members were recruited by erecting a “solidarity space” where food, gossip, and basic survival strategies were shared. Members had to prove their worth in practice by “being there” and voting with their feet. Becoming “militants” requires members to participate in kinesthetic acts like manifestations or long marches. SPBelgique’s emphasis on autonomy—speaking and acting for themselves rather than through intermediaries—is shown to be central to sustaining political engagement. The chapter also discusses the emotional and logistical challenges of maintaining momentum under conditions of legal precarity, limited resources, and lacking institutional receptivity. Through its organizing, SPBelgique not only resisted exclusion but also prefigured alternative forms of belonging in the city.