René Girard’s CBC interview – David Cayley
Since the beginning of time, humanity has been in constant conflict due to the mimetic nature of desire. In this televised interview, IDEAS producer David Cayley speaks with René Girard about the historical and biblical aspects of mimetic theory, scapegoating, and violence, from Cain and Abel through examples from contemporary literature. With the revelation of […]
Scapegoat
A person, group, or thing that a community chooses—through a mimetically-driven process— to expel or eliminate in the midst of a mimetic crisis in order to bring about a resolution. The scapegoat absorbs all of the mimetic tension and violence, which had previously been undirected and chaotic, onto itself.
The Premier Foundation for Girard
The premier foundation for Girard in the United States, established by Peter Thiel, Girard’s most famous student at Stanford. Imitatio is made up of Girardian scholars who have a special interest in furthering biblical Girardian studies through various programs and initiatives. The premier foundation organization makes small grants to support research into Girardian studies. Imitatio’s […]
Giardian Lectionary: Understanding the Bible Anew Through the Mimetic Theory of René Girard
One of the most comprehensive online resources for biblical studies, a website run by Paul Nuechterlein, a well-respected voice in theological circles with over 30 years of experience in ELCA congregations. This is a website that will help anyone see the scripture’s through the lens of mimetic theory. Visit Giardian Lectionary
René Girard’s Mimetic Theory – by Wolfgang Palaver
A systematic introduction into the René Girard’s mimetic theory of the French-American literary theorist and philosophical anthropologist René Girard, this essential text explains its three main pillars (mimetic desire, the scapegoat mechanism, and the Biblical “difference”) with the help of examples from literature and philosophy. This book also offers an overview of René Girard’s life […]
The Prophetic Law: Essays in Judaism, Girardianism, Literary Studies, and the Ethical – by Sandor Goodhart
To read literature is to read the way literature reads. René Girard’s immense body of work supports this thesis bountifully. Whether engaging the European novel, ancient Greek tragedy, Shakespeare’s plays, or Jewish and Christian scripture, Girard teaches us to read prophetically, not by offering a method he has developed, but by presenting the methodologies they […]
Politics and Apocalypse – by Robert Hamerton-Kelly
Apocalypse. To most, the word signifies destruction, death, the end of the world, but the literal definition is “revelation” or “unveiling,” the basis from which renowned theologian René Girard builds his own view of Biblical apocalypse. Properly understood, Girard explains, Biblical apocalypse has nothing to do with a wrathful or vengeful God punishing his unworthy […]
Enigmas of Sacrifice: A Critique of Joseph M. Plunkett and the Dublin Insurrection of 1916
by Mc Cormack, W. J. Enigmas of Sacrifice: A Critique of Joseph M. Plunkett and the Dublin Insurrection of 1916 is the first critical study of the religious poet and militarist Joseph M. Plunkett, who was executed with the other leaders of the Dublin insurrection of 1916. Through Plunkett, the author gains access to areas of […]
The Scapegoat – by René Girard
Girard, professor of the French language, literature, and civilization at Stanford, builds on his notable previous anthropological and literary examinations of myth and ritual in human society. Here he applies his appraisals of Freud and Levi-Strauss to demonstrate how religion functions to keep violence outside society by deflecting it onto a scapegoat whose sacrifice restores […]
I See Satan Fall Like Lightning – by Rene Girard
One of Girard’s most important books, and one highly recommended for beginners –especially those interested in the religious implications of his work. It starts exploring the tenth commandment, which Girard believes is really an injunction against mimetic rivalry, and goes on to explain the apparent similarities between mythology and the Gospels. In Girard’s view, the […]