What are the constitutive elements of different forms of social relationships? This volume includes contributions from a range of academic disciplines and case studies drawn from different cultures, time periods and geographical spaces. It does not only focus on practices and semantics of belonging but also takes a closer look at how communities and individual bonds are constantly re-negotiated and disrupted. The chapters discuss how communities come into being, what gives them coherence, how they deal with conflicts and challenges to their underlying structures and modes of self-representation.