René Girard and Creative Mimesis

This is a highly original multi-author volume about the work of René Girard in understanding openness, creativity and mutuality in relations with other people. Girard’s theory of desire posits ideal personhood as one’s ability to self-actualize through non-rivalry imitations of others without the need to dominate others in the process. Girard’s work is best known for his analysis of inter-subjective violence, but the authors here show the power of his thought to model deeply reciprocal, positive human relations. A must read for all students of Girard — as well as other readers interested in a joyous paradigm for healthy families and societies. -- Mark Wallace, Swarthmore College; author of Finding God In The Singing River: Christianity, Spirit, Nature
Harnessing the insights of some of the leading exponents of Girard's theories and examining all major parts of the creative process, this volume adroitly explores the relation of mimesis to creativity across the board in the humanities and social sciences — engaging fields as diverse as political science, psychology, linguistics, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, literary study, religious studies, and theology. As such, it promises an innovative, re-invigorating, and productive set of approaches to questions that have withstood our attention for some two thousand years in the West, confined as they were for most of that time within the works of a few great literary artists. -- Sandor Goodhart, Purdue University