Community of the Unchosen

Those who participate in the social practice of a community and can see themselves as part of a »we« are free. A human right that is often disputed in our time. But a good life is only a life shared with others.

In this essay, Sabine Hark tells the story of belonging and equality starting from the lives of those whose communities are violently divided, whose hopes for a good life are shattered by the border walls of power, whose voices remain unheard and whose equality is treated with contempt. In a language oscillating between theory and poetry, Hark sketches a power-sensitive political ethos for a pluralistic, democratic coexistence that creates spaces to breathe for the many.

»With her book, Hark renews the promise of critical theory – understood ecumenically to encompass the various forms of social, postcolonial, cultural, gender, and political theory on which she draws – to offer a critical analysis of the present informed by a deep sense of the past(s) that preceded it, and animated by an avowedly normative, utopian perspective of inclusion, access, solidarity, and community (Gemeinschaft). For what it is worth, let me add that I would certainly assign the book in my classes on Critical Theory if it were available in translation. Community of the Unchosen is at once theoretically sophisticated and disarmingly direct. It is written in an accessible style and invites discussion. It should be part of our debates in the English language as well.« Johannes von Moltke, Professor Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures; Department of Film, Television and Media, University of Michigan

»Community of the Unchosen is a welcome opportunity for new English language readers to encounter the luminous work of German sociologist Sabine Hark. In this new volume, Hark imagines more socially just political futures by centering coexistence and the common concerns that unite us. Eloquently written and steeped in feminist and anti-racist critical insights; it is academic work brimming with the tenderness of human feeling and a vision for making the world more livable by doing the difficult work of bringing freedom and care into intimate dialogue.« Juana María Rodríguez, Professor and Chair Department of Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley

»If Hannah Arendt and Audre Lorde sat together in a room, they might have come up with Community of the Unchosen. Sabine Hark invites us to reflect upon our present moment of intense polarization and imagine a different future. She shows us what the ›good society‹ could look like if it acknowledged forms of difference. Hark helps us to move beyond the limitations of identity politics, tackling vital questions of democracy from a feminist and critical race lens, A brilliant and inspiring political intervention that will be of interest to audiences on both side of the Atlantic.« Arlene Stein, Distinguished Professor Department of Sociology, Director of the Institute for Research on Women, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

»In an age of deep social and political polarization, Sabine Hark provides a much-needed vision for a society based on values of solidarity that foster equality while simultaneously respecting differences. Community of the Unchosen makes a compelling argument for the praxis of care as a democratic virtue through which we can contest both the ravages of neoliberalism and deeply ingrained hierarchies of race, class and sex.« Angelika von Wahl, Inaugural John L. '67 and Jean A. Hatfield Professor of International Affairs, Lafayette College

»An intelligent and delicate essay […] thrilling both stylistically and intellectually.« Asal Ardan, Süddeutsche Zeitung

»Intellectually challenging and emotionally moving at the same time.« Mechthild Bereswill, Soziopolis

»The questions Hark leaves us with are more topical than ever.« Jana Petersen, Feministische Studien