Logos Bible Software
Sign In
Products>Violence, Desire, and the Sacred, Volume 2: René Girard and Sacrifice in Life, Love and Literature

Violence, Desire, and the Sacred, Volume 2: René Girard and Sacrifice in Life, Love and Literature

Publisher:
, 2014
ISBN: 9781623562557
Be the first to rate this.

Ebook

Ebooks are designed for reading and have few connections to your library.
See Inside

$46.75

This collection of state of the art interpretations of the thought of René Girard follows on from the volume Violence, Desire, and the Sacred: Girard's Mimetic Theory Across the Disciplines (2012). The previous collection has been acclaimed for demonstrating and showcasing Girard's mimetic theory at its inter-disciplinary best by bringing together scholars who apply Girard's insights in different fields. This new volume builds on and extends the work of that earlier collection by moving into new areas such as psychology, politics, classical literature, national literature, and practical applications of Girard's theory in pastoral/spiritual care, peace-making and religious thought and practice.

State of the art interpretations of Rene Girard's theory and its relation to fields as diverse as politics, national literature, pastoral care and peace-making

Introduces Girard's mimetic theory in an accessible way through the inter-disciplinary applications of his work
Showcases the application of Girard's theory in new areas, such as politics and psychology
In particular, it shows how Girard's theory is being used in practical ways

Contributors

Foreword
Paul Dumouchel

Introduction
Joel Hodge, Scott Cowdell, and Chris Fleming

Mimesis, Violence, and the Sacred: An Overview of the Thought of René Girard
Chris Fleming

Part 1: Politics
1. Abolition or Transformation? The Political Implications of René Girard's Theory of Sacrifice
Wolfgang Palaver
2. Sacrifice in the Democratic Age: Rivalry and Crisis in Recent Australian Politics
Joel Hodge
3. Mimetic Theory and Hermeneutic Communism
Paolo Diego Bubbio
4. War on Terror: The Escalation to Extremes
Sarah Drews Lucas
5. Scapegoating the Guilty: Girard and International Criminal Law
Nathan Kensey

Part 2: Cultural and Textual Analysis
6. The Scapegoating of Cheerleading and Cheerleaders
Emma A. Jane
7. “Things Hidden”: On Shame, Violence, and Concealment in Autobiography
Rosamund Dalziell
8 “That False Paradise”: Desire, Sacrifice, and the American Dream in Jeffrey Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides
Carly Osborn

Part 3: Theology
9. Hearing the Cry of the Poor: René Girard and St. Augustine on the Psalms
Ann W. Astell
10. Sacrifice, Pagan and Christian
Robert J. Daly SJ
 11. Living Faithfully “Where Danger Threatens”: Christian Discernment According to John Cassian and René Girard
Kevin Lenehan

Part 4: Psychology
12. A Psychologist Venturing Across an Interdisciplinary Bridge to Mimetic Theory and Its Applications
Marie R. Joyce
13. Internet Offenders as Girardian Scapegoats
Bruce A. Stevens

Part 5: Applied Mimetic Theory
14. A Girardian Reading of the Evagrian “Eight Kinds of Evil Thoughts”
Draško Dizdar
 15. Forsaking Our Violent Ways: A Girardian Reflection on the Sermon on the Mount as a Path to a New Social Order
Peter Stork
16. Girard's Interdividual Psychology Applied to Pastoral Leadership in Churches
Bruce Wilson
17. Ecclesial Roots of Clergy Sexual Abuse: A Girardian Reflection
Scott Cowdell
18. Practical Reflections on Nonviolent Atonement
Michael Hardin

Glossary of Key Girardian Terms
Further Reading
Index

Chris Fleming's call in 2004 to take up René Girard's research programme has been convincingly answered by The Australian Girard Seminar and their distinguished guests. Volume Two of Violence, Desire, and the Sacred is important to anyone working in mimetic theory and a persuasive model for those who would productively integrate interdisciplinary researchers.

A half century after René Girard introduced the world to mimetic theory with a series of ground-breaking works on desire, rivalry, scapegoating, and sacrifice, Violence, Desire, and the Sacred-Volume Two, offers powerful testimony that mimetic theory continues to flourish. Following in the footsteps of Girard, whose explorations span the humanities and social sciences, the contributors to this interdisciplinary collection demonstrate how mimetic theory continues to illuminate a broad range of phenomena in areas such as politics, cultural studies, psychology, and literature. Including incisive analyses by well-known Girardian scholars as well as innovative and engaging commentaries by a new generation of researchers, this second volume builds on the promise of the first. Featuring theoretical perspectives as well as practical applications of mimetic theory, the essays in this collection demonstrate that mimetic theory remains a vital resource for all those who seek not only to understand the violence that imperils human existence but also to break its hold. Like a richly textured fabric, Violence, Desire, and the Sacred-Volume Two attracts and holds our interest, whether we examine the compelling pattern of the whole or focus on each vibrant thread.

In a variety of approaches this collection explains, expounds, expands, criticizes, and, significantly, applies René Girard's mimetic theory. The reader comes away not only with a renewed appreciation of mimetic theory's vitality and versatility, but also with new eyes for reading the Psalms and American dystopian literature, for seeing the ecclesial sex abuse crisis and Australian politics, for looking at the war on terror and the scapegoating of cheerleaders. Very impressive.

Scott Cowdell is Associate Professor and Research Fellow in Public and Contextual Theology at Charles Sturt University, Australia, Canon Theologian of the Canberra-Goulburn Anglican Diocese, and Founding President of the Australian Girard Seminar.

Chris Fleming is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Anthropology at the University of Western Sydney, Australia. His is the author of Violence and Mimesis (2004) and is current Vice-President of the Australian Girard Seminar.

Joel Hodge is Lecturer in Systematic Theology at Australian Catholic University, Australia. He is the author of Resisting Violence and Victimisation: Christian Faith and Solidarity in East Timor (2012) and is current Treasurer and Secretary of the Australian Girard Seminar.

Reviews

0 ratings

Sign in with your Logos account

    $46.75