The Palgrave Handbook of Mimetic Theory and Religion

Description

The Palgrave Handbook of Mimetic Theory and Religion draws on the expertise of leading scholars and thinkers to explore the violent origins of culture, the meaning of ritual, and the conjunction of theology and anthropology, as well as secularization, science, and terrorism. Authors assess the contributions of René Girard’s mimetic theory to our understanding of sacrifice, ancient tragedy, and post-modernity, and apply its insights to religious cinema and the global economy. This handbook serves as introduction and guide to a theory of religion and human behavior that has established itself as fertile terrain for scholarly research and intellectual reflection. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxvii General Introduction (James Alison, Wolfgang Palaver)....Pages 1-7 Front Matter ....Pages 9-9 Introduction (James Alison, Paul Dumouchel)....Pages 11-12 An Essay on Hominization: Current Theories, Girardian–Darwinian Approaches (Paul Dumouchel)....Pages 13-19 The Emergence of Human Consciousness in a Religious Context (Pierpaolo Antonello)....Pages 21-29 Freud, Moses and Monotheism, and the Conversation Between Mimetic Theory and Psychoanalysis (Kathryn M. Frost)....Pages 31-37 Kristeva and the Question of Origins (Martha J. Reineke)....Pages 39-44 Girard and Burkert: Hunting, Homo Necans, Guilt (Wolfgang Palaver)....Pages 45-52 Vengeance and the Gift (Mark R. Anspach)....Pages 53-59 Mesoamerican Civilizations and Sacrifice (Miguel Rolland)....Pages 61-67 Çatalhöyük, Archaeology, Violence (Christopher J. Knüsel, Bonnie Glencross)....Pages 69-75 Front Matter ....Pages 77-77 Introduction (Wolfgang Palaver, Thomas Ryba)....Pages 79-83 Lévi-Strauss and Girard on Mythology and Ritual (Lucien Scubla)....Pages 85-93 The Axial Moment and Its Critics: Jaspers, Bellah, and Voegelin (Stephen Gardner)....Pages 95-101 Monotheism and the Abrahamic Revolution: Moving Out of the Archaic Sacred (Wolfgang Palaver)....Pages 103-109 The Eastern Revolution: From the Vedas to Buddhism, Jainism, and the Upanishads (Brian Collins)....Pages 111-117 The Classical World: Sacrifice, Philosophy, and Religion (Nidesh Lawtoo)....Pages 119-126 The Transition from Orality to Writing: Mimetic Theory and Religion (Phil Rose)....Pages 127-133 Biblical Interpretation: Old and New Testaments, a New Hermeneutic(s)? (Robert J. Daly)....Pages 135-141 Theological Inversions: Raymund Schwager, Robert G. Hamerton-Kelly, and James G. Williams (Mathias Moosbrugger)....Pages 143-150 Oedipus and Greek Tragedy (Sandor Goodhart)....Pages 151-157 Nietzsche, Dionysos, and the Crucified (James G. Williams)....Pages 159-165 Front Matter ....Pages 167-167 Introduction (James Alison, Martha J. Reineke)....Pages 169-172 An Epistemology of Revelation (John Ranieri)....Pages 173-178 Approaches to Atonement: How Girard Changes the Debate (S. Mark Heim)....Pages 179-184 Original Sin, Positive Mimesis (Petra Steinmair-Pösel)....Pages 185-192 Embodiment and Incarnation (Scott Cowdell)....Pages 193-200 Eucharist and Sacrifice: The Transformation of the Meaning of Sacrifice Through Revelation (James Alison)....Pages 201-207 Girard and Augustine (Thomas Ryba)....Pages 209-216 Raymund Schwager: Dramatic Theology (Nikolaus Wandinger)....Pages 217-224 American Protestant Reception of Mimetic Theory: 1986–2015 (Michael Hardin)....Pages 225-232 James Alison’s Theological Appropriation of Girard (John P. Edwards)....Pages 233-239 Levinas and the Prophetic Current (Sandor Goodhart)....Pages 241-248 Mysticism, Girard, and Simone Weil (Ann Astell)....Pages 249-255 From the Sacred to the Holy in the World’s Religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism (Vanessa J. Avery)....Pages 257-263 Front Matter ....Pages 265-265 Introduction (Paul Dumouchel, William A. Johnsen)....Pages 267-269 Secularization (Jean-Pierre Dupuy)....Pages 271-277 The Barren Sacrifice (Paul Dumouchel)....Pages 279-285 The Economy as the Opium of the People (Bernard Perret)....Pages 287-294 “The Carnal Mind Rebels”: The Unravelling Logic of the Salem Witch Hunt (David Dawson)....Pages 295-301 Mimetic Theory, Religion, and Literature as Secular Scripture (William A. Johnsen)....Pages 303-309 The Development of the Self (Paolo Diego Bubbio)....Pages 311-318 Modern Pathologies and the Displacement of the Sacred (Emanuele Antonelli)....Pages 319-325 Ressentiment and the Turn to the Victim: Nietzsche, Weber, Scheler (Stefano Tomelleri)....Pages 327-334 René Girard and Charles Taylor: Complementary Engagements with the Crisis of Modernity (Wolfgang Palaver)....Pages 335-342 Secularization Revisited: Tocqueville, Asad, Bonhoeffer, Habermas (Scott Cowdell)....Pages 343-350 Front Matter ....Pages 351-351 Introduction (Jeremiah Alberg, Wolfgang Palaver)....Pages 353-355 The Return of Religion (Jeremiah Alberg)....Pages 357-361 Mimetic Theory and the Katēchon (Michael Kirwan)....Pages 363-369 Hӧlderlin and Heidegger: Which God Will Save Us? (Cyril O’Regan)....Pages 371-377 “The Apocalypse Has Begun”: Ivan Illich and René Girard on Anti-christ (David Cayley)....Pages 379-385 Weak Faith (Frederiek Depoortere)....Pages 387-393 Terrorism and Religion (Elisabetta Brighi)....Pages 395-402 Apocalypse: Hope Against All Hope (Bruce K. Ward)....Pages 403-410 Enlightened Doomsaying (Wilhelm Guggenberger)....Pages 411-417 Front Matter ....Pages 419-419 Introduction (Paul Dumouchel)....Pages 421-422 The New Atheism: Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens (Grant Kaplan)....Pages 423-430 Scientific Evidence for the Foundational Role of Psychological Mimesis (Scott Garrels)....Pages 431-438 Cognitive Neuroscience and Religion (Warren S. Brown)....Pages 439-446 Generative Anthropology (Eric Gans)....Pages 447-453 Critiques of Girard’s Mimetic Theory (Trevor Cribben Merrill)....Pages 455-461 A Theory of Everything? A Methodological Tale (Paul Dumouchel)....Pages 463-469 Mimetic Theory and Self-criticism (Jean-Marc Bourdin)....Pages 471-477 Front Matter ....Pages 479-479 Introduction (Andrew McKenna, Sheelah Treflé Hidden)....Pages 481-483 Scandal (Jeremiah Alberg)....Pages 485-491 Terrorism and the Escalation of Violence (Duncan Morrow)....Pages 493-500 Religious Conflicts in the Contemporary World (Vern Neufeld Redekop)....Pages 501-508 Modern Confessional Movements (Kris Rocke)....Pages 509-516 Mimetic Insights into the Sacred in Film (Joel Hodge)....Pages 517-523 Resurgent Religious Themes in Contemporary Film (Chris Fleming)....Pages 525-530 Pastoral Outreach and Community Living (Adam Ericksen)....Pages 531-536 Back Matter ....Pages 537-549