The Revelatory Power of Mimetic Theory
Reading René Girard, Texts and the World
The Revelatory Power of Mimetic Theory
Reading René Girard, Texts and the World
Description
A one-of-a-kind overview of the lasting impact of mimetic theory and the extent of its interdisciplinary applications, a century after René Girard's birth.
Bringing together a team of established scholars from different disciplines, this collection assesses how much the theory has developed over Girard's lifetime and beyond. Literary texts and myths are analysed through a mimetic lens, revealing the underlying patterns of rivalry, violence, and sacrifice. Mimetic theory is then applied to real-world phenomena, such as terrorism, social conflict, and ecological crises, demonstrating its relevance in the 21st century.
Each chapter collected here demonstrates mimetic theory's on-going capacity to open up new avenues in philosophy, disability studies, literature and beyond. Girard argued that texts, whether religious, literary, or anthropological reveal fundamental aspects of the world. Inspired by this chapters drawing on a rich selection of works and authors including DH Lawrence, Oedipus Rex, Hannah Arendt, and Michel Houellebecq to reveal innovative uses of his theory.
By illustrating how Girard's ideas are being used by specialists and practitioners across diverse fields, this expansive exploration of mimetic theory tackles timely topics from social media and terrorism prevention to toxic masculinity and conspiracy theories. It is for anyone interested in understanding human behavior and culture from multiple perspectives.
Table of Contents
Part I Reading texts:
1 Mark Anspach (Imitatio), The Oedipus Case
2 E. Blass (Wartburg College), Comparative Methodology and Seeing the Victim
3 W. Johnsen (Michigan State University), The Missing Mother and the Continuing Fecundity of René Girard
4 S. McKenna (Independent scholar), Near Lynching in Faulkner's Intruder in the Dust
5 M. Matthew (University of Chicago), King Noah and the Sacred Victim
6 J. Rossouw (University of the Free State – South Africa), Girard, Houllebecq and mimetic rivalry in the consumerist liberal society
Part II Reading the World
7 James Alison (Independent scholar), A Girardian Approach to the Virtue of Humility
8 Vincent Delecroix (École des Hautes Études - Paris), Cain and Abel
9 Barbara Carnevali (École des Hautes Études – Paris), Deviated Transcendence: Girard's Legacy for Social Philosophy
10 Elisabetta Brighi (University of Westminster), Towards a Mimetic Theory of Terrorism
11 Andreas Wilmes (Pazmany Péter Catholic University), Apocalypse, Technology and the Future of Mimetic theory
12 Jean-Pierre Dupuy (Standord University), Battling to the Atomic End
13 C.K. Belliger (Brite Divinity School), Girard and the Ethics of Policing
14 A. Cork (Independent scholar), Mimetic Theory and L'Arche
15 L. Guglielmimetti (European Radicalization Awareness Network), Persecution texts and Conspiracy theories
16 J. Lysenko (Independent scholar), René Girard, thinker of the Apocalypse
17 S. McElcheran (University of Toronto), Intellectual Disability and Girardian Mimesis
18 V. Riordan (Psychiatrist, West Cork Health Services), Application of Mimetic Theory to Psychiatry
19 F. Arcuri (University of Bergamo), Toxic Masculinity and Mimetic Resentment
Index
Product details
| Published | 08 Jan 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (PDF) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 288 |
| ISBN | 9781350532885 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Series | Violence, Desire, and the Sacred |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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