The significance of cultural differences for our coexistence is widely discussed. However, the affective and emotional foundations of intercultural encounters and relationships, particularly regarding aversions and aggressions towards others, have not yet been sufficiently clarified. Jürgen Straub focuses on the negative affects towards strangers, which are often hidden sources of rejection, exclusion, and other violent reactions. At the center of his investigation is the question of how people can become "abjects" that evoke disgust, revulsion, and reluctance. This concept by Julia Kristeva is explored in new contexts and defined as an important term in a psychoanalytically informed cultural psychology. In this process, not only cultural differences come into focus, but also commonalities and similarities that affect even those who are strangers to each other.