For René Girard: Essays in Friendship and in Truth (Studies in Violence, Mimesis, and Culture Series)

In his explorations of the relations between the sacred and violence, René Girard has hit upon the origin of culture—the way culture began, the way it continues to organize itself. The way communities of human beings structure themselves in a manner that is different from that of other species on the planet. Like Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Émile Durkheim, Martin Buber, or others who have changed the way we think in the humanities or in the human sciences, Girard has put forth a set of ideas that have altered our perceptions of the world in which we function. We will never be able to think the same way again about mimetic desire, about the scapegoat mechanism, and about the role of Jewish and Christian scripture in explaining sacrifice, violence, and the crises from which our culture has been born. The contributions fall into roughly four areas of interpretive work: religion and religious study; literary study; the philosophy of social science; and psychological studies. The essays presented here are offered as "essays" in the older French sense of attempts (essayer) or trials of ideas, as indeed Girard has tried out ideas with us. With a conscious echo of Montaigne, then, this hommage volume is titled Essays in Friendship and in Truth. Contents......Page 6 Preface ......Page 8 Receiving René Girard into the Académie Française - Michel Serres ......Page 12 René et moi - Eric Gans ......Page 30 Great Books - Andrew J. McKenna ......Page 38 My Encounter with René Girard - Cesáreo Bandera ......Page 50 My Life with René - Jean-Michel Oughourlian ......Page 62 Detour and Sacrifice: Illich and Girard - Jean-Pierre Dupuy ......Page 68 Already from the Beginning - Paul Dumouchel ......Page 90 Literature, Myth, and Prophecy: Encountering René Girard - Sandor Goodhart ......Page 98 A Phenomenology of Redemption? - Robert J. Daly ......Page 112 The Girard Effect - William A. Johnsen ......Page 122 René Girard: The Architect of My Spiritual Home - Jozef Niewiadomski ......Page 130 Eucharisto, René Girard: Searching for a Pacifist Theology - Jacques-Jude Lépine ......Page 142 The Way to More Insight and Personal Freedom - Sonja Pos ......Page 150 Girard, Buddhism, and the Psychology of Desire - Eugene Webb......Page 158 Magister Lucis: In the Light of René Girard - James G. Williams ......Page 170 Breakout from the Belly of the Beast - Robert Hamerton-Kelly ......Page 180 On Paper and in Person, Gil Bailie......Page 190 Drawn into Conversion: How Mimetic Theory Changed My Way of Being a Christian Theologian - Wolfgang Palaver ......Page 200 For René Girard: In Appreciation - Richard J. Golsan ......Page 210 Dispatch from the Girardian Boundary - Charles Mabee ......Page 222 Things Still Hidden ... - Anthony Bartlett ......Page 234 The Mimeticist Turn: Lessons from Early Girard - Chris Allen Carter ......Page 246 Sacrifice and Sexual Difference: Insights and Challenges in the Work of René Girard - Martha Reineke......Page 258 “The Key of Knowledge” : A Brief and Entirely Insufficient Account of a Discovery - Giuseppe Fornari......Page 270 Mimetic Theory and Christian Theology in the Twenty-first Century - Michael E. Hardin ......Page 276 René Girard’s Hermeneutic: Discovery and Pedagogy - Tyler Graham ......Page 284 About the Editors and Contributors......Page 294 Receiving René Girard Into The Académie Française / Michel Serres -- René Et Moi / Eric Gans -- Great Books / Andrew J. Mckenna -- My Encounter With René Girard / Cesáreo Bandera -- My Life With René, Jean-michel Oughourlian -- Detour And Sacrifice : Illich And Girard / Jean-pierre Dupuy -- Already From The Beginning / Paul Dumouchel -- Literature, Myth, And Prophecy : Encountering René Girard / Sandor Goodheart -- A Phenomenology Of Redemption? / Robert J. Daly -- The Girard Effect / William A. Johnsen -- René Girard : The Architect Of My Spiritual Home / Jozef Niewiadomski -- Eucharisto, René Girard : Searching For A Pacifist Theology / Jacques-jude Lépine -- The Way To More Insight And Personal Freedom / Sonja Pos -- Girard, Buddhism, And The Psychology Of Desire / Eugene Webb -- Magister Lucis : In The Light Of René Girard / James G. Williams -- Breakout From The Belly Of The Beast : Robert Hamerton-kelly -- On Paper And In Person / Gil Bailie -- Drawn Into Conversion : How Mimetic Theory Changed My Way Of Being A Christian Theologian / Walter Palaver -- For René Girard : In Appreciation / Richard J. Golsan -- Dispatch From The Girardian Boundary / Charles Mabee -- Things Still Hidden / Anthony Bartlett -- The Turn : Lessons From Early Girard / Chris Allen Carter -- Sacrifice And Sexual Difference : Insights And Challenges In The Work Of René Girard / Martha Reineke -- The Key Of Knowledge : A Brief And Entirely Insufficient Account Of A Discovery / Giuseppe Fornari -- Mimetic Theory And Christian Theology In The Twenty-first Century / Michael E. Hardin -- René Girard's Hermeneutic : Discovery And Pedagogy / Tyler Graham. Edited By Sandor Goodhart ... [et Al.]. Includes Bibliographical References. In his explorations of the relations between the sacred and violence, Ren Girard has hit upon the origin of culturethe way culture began, the way it continues to organize itself. The way communities of human beings structure themselves in a manner that is different from that of other species on the planet. Like Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, mile Durkheim, Martin Buber, or others who have changed the way we think in the humanities or in the human sciences, Girard has put forth a set of ideas that have altered our perceptions of the world in which we function. We will never be able to think the same way again about mimetic desire, about the scapegoat mechanism, and about the role of Jewish and Christian scripture in explaining sacrifice, violence, and the crises from which our culture has been born. The contributions fall into roughly four areas of interpretive religion and religious study; literary study; the philosophy of social science; and psychological studies. The essays presented here are offered as "essays" in the older French sense of attempts (essayer) or trials of ideas, as indeed Girard has tried out ideas with us. With a conscious echo of Montaigne, then, this hommage volume is titled Essays in Friendship and in Truth .