The idea that social coexistence could be organized differently than in the form of hierarchically structured states is hardly imaginable for many members of Western societies. However, aside from the dreams of romantic utopians, there are today functioning societies beyond state influences that are based on legal processes and problem-solving mechanisms without domination. Through empirical studies in non-hierarchical societies in the Horn of Africa, this study contrasts state and non-dominating community orders and analyzes the institutional elements of an anarchic coexistence that contribute to the stabilization of this form of society through consensus-building and ethically based integration mechanisms, which also offers insights for the Western world.