Violence and the Sacred

1
Violence and the Sacred An Introduction to the
Work of René Girard
Robert W Stead
2
Background

• Born in Avignon on December 25, 1923
• 1943 to 1947 - studied medieval history at the
  Ecole des Chartes, Paris
• 1947 - Indiana University teaching French
  literature
• 1953 to 1957 - Duke University and Bryn Mawr
  College
• 1961 - full professor Johns Hopkins University

3
Background

• 1961 - Mensonge Romantique et Verite Romanesque
  (Deceit, Desire and the Novel, 1966)
• 1972 - La Violence et Le Sacre (Violence and the
  Sacred, 1977)
• 1978 - Des choses cachees depuis la fondation
  du monde (Things Hidden since the Foundation of
  the World, 1987)
• 1978 - To Double Business Bound Essays on
  Literature, Mimesis, and Anthropology

4
Background

• 1981 - Andrew B. Hammond Professor of French
  Language, Literature, and Civilization at
  Stanford University
• 1982 - Le Bouc émissaire (The Scapegoat)
• 1985 - La route antique des hommes pervers (Job,
  the Victim of His People 1987)
• 1991 - A Theatre of Envy William Shakespeare
• 1995 - Retires from Stanford University

5
Background

• 1990 - Colloquium on Violence and Religion
  (COVR) founded
• Purpose explore, criticize, and develop the
  mimetic model of the relationship between
  violence and religion in the genesis and
  maintenance of culture
• Yearly conference devoted to topics related to
  mimetic theory, scapegoating, violence, and
  religion.
• René Girard - Honorary Chair of COVR.

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Question

• What makes great literature great?

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The Journey Begins...

• With Don Quixote

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Mimesis

• The Imitation of Desire
• External Mediation Great Distance between Model
  and Disciple
• Internal Mediation Little Distance between the
  Two
• Rivalry Inversely Proportional to Distance
• Greater the Distance the Lesser the Rivalry

9
Desire is
Triangular
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Beyond the Novel

• Girard studies texts of persecution
• Exploration of religious myths
• A look at the Oedipus myth

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4 Stereotypes in Myths

• Loss of difference (plague)
• Crimes that eliminate difference (parricide,
  incest)
• Mark of the victim (physical/social defect limp,
  foreigner, different class)
• Violence (destroy or banish the victim)

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In a sentence...

• Communal chaos is created by crimes caused by
  a criminal who must be crushed.

13
GMSM

• Generative produces differences that delineate
  culture
• Mimetic driven by desire
• Scapegoating prevents runaway mimetic rivalry
  by means of a surrogate victim
• Mechanism operates mechanically rather than
  deliberately
• (thanks to Robert G. Hamerton-Kelly The Gospel
  and the Sacred (1994)

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GMSM

• Mimetic Desire (Acquisitive Mimesis)
• Mediation (external, internal)
• Rivalry
• The Model/Obstacle (scandal, envy, hatred)
• Transcendence (deviated idolatry)
• Substitution
• Acquiistive Motivation
• Mimetic Desires Roots in Phylogeny

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GMSM

• The Surrogate Victim Scapegoat (Conflictual
  Mimesis)
• The Crisis of Differentiation
• The Emergence of the Surrogate Victim (Scapegoat)
• The Generation of Differences

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GMSM

• The Double Transference
• The Nature of the Double Transference
  (rivalry/peace)
• The Victim as Transcendent Signifer

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GMSM

• The Products of the Double Transference
• The Sacred
• Prohibition
• Ritual
• Myths

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The Bible

• Exposes the violence of GMSM
• The voice of the victim
• The only voice of Truth is the voice of the
  innocent victim
• Cain and Abel
• Story of Joseph
• Mimetic Predicament-Mimetic Liberation
• Paul's Conversion
• Christ- Servant/Leader/Model

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Must There Be Scapegoats?

• The work of Raymond Schwager
• The move away from sacrifice ( ex Ps 51)
• The human dimension of the wrath of God
• Scapegoat Mechanism Unity (simplicity)
• Holy Spirit Community (multiplicity)
• In final analysisThe Word makes possible the
  inner personal relationship that we call faith,
  trust, love

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Girard's Influence

• Biblical Hermaneutics
• Raymond Schwager
• Robert Hamerton-Kelly
• Gil Bailie
• Psychology Jean-Michel Oughourlian
• Eric Gans Generative Anthropology
• COV R

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Can We Escape Mimesis?

• What Kind of Mimesis?
• Creative Mimesis Desire for the Good
  (non-rivalrous)
• Christ The Cornerstone

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A Personal Note

• Girard's Approach to Substitution and the
  Medieval (Anselmic) Approach
• The use of scientific method to approach texts
  and to relate texts to one another
• The implications of mimetic theory for
  interpersonal relations
• Look within and between