Allyship (in German: Komplizenschaft) is the commitment, as a privileged person, to advocate for the interests of the marginalised. On the University of Cologne’s website, allyship is defined as: “an active, consistent, and challenging practice of unlearning and re-evaluating, in which a person in a position of privilege and power seeks to act in solidarity with a marginalised group”.16
Allyship involves a “lifelong process of learning” as well as “unlearning” previous behaviour.17 Allyship is intended to serve the empowerment of marginalised groups: an ally deploys their own resources, opportunities, and abilities to combat the system and dismantle invisible power structures in society (so-called powersharing).18 To achieve this authentically (rather than performatively), one must apply the woke ideology in one’s own life (so-called praxis). Part of this praxis is to problematise one’s own privileges, relationships, and behaviours using critical theories and to correct them.19
Allyship is regarded as problematic if the praxis is not sufficiently solidaristic and is instead used to gain status as an ally (so-called “performative” allyship). To be a genuine ally, one must monitor one’s own behaviour to avoid contributing to oppression oneself.20 An important criterion for this is that, as a privileged person, one subordinates oneself to marginalised voices (see Forms of Knowledge).21