ABSTRACT
At first glance the term community seems to emphasise what is included, what ‘we’ (those who are included) have in common. Yet, the basic gesture by means of which a community is constituted is always an act of exclusion: the constitution of a ‘we’ presupposes the exclusion of Others. Inclusion and exclusion logically and intrinsically belong together. A paradigmatic example of the kind of gesture by means of which a community is constituted is the Holy Communion, a ritual of sharing and involvement. Yet, in the Christian liturgy (and most notably in its Roman Catholic version) the actual communion is preceded by another ritual, one of exclusion, in which the community members testify and re-establish their adherence to the Christian articles of faith. Those unwilling to take part in this ritual of adherence are denied access to the subsequent ritual of sharing.
