Die Grenzen der Grenzen der Gemeinschaft: Plessner beyond Europe

Abstract

The limits of Limits of community – Plessner beyond Europe. Plessner’s Limits of community has itself a somewhat surprising limitation: it does not make much reference to non-European cases and perspectives. This article analyses Plessner’s text with regard to its cross-cultural references and it situates Plessner’s thinking with regard to current radicalisms. I suggest that despite its limitations Plessner’s work is a very useful contribution to current debates surrounding moralizing populisms, post-colonialism, modernism and technology. Comparative anthropological work can help to complement our understanding of the dangers of creating community relations that Plessner identified by giving attention to the creation of societal relations in non-European societies, in particular in groups that are comparatively egalitarian and of small scale.