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Studies in Violence, Mimesis, and Culture (SVMC)
Mimesis and Science: Empirical Research on Imitation and the Mimetic Theory of Culture and Religion
This exciting compendium brings together, for the first time, some of the foremost scholars of René Girard’s mimetic theory, with leading imitation researchers from the cognitive, developmental, and neuro sciences. These chapters explore some of the major discoveries and developments concerning the foundational, yet previously overlooked, role of imitation in human life, revealing the unique theoretical links that can now be made from the neural basis of social interaction to the structure and evolution of human culture and religion. Together, mimetic scholars and imitation researchers are on the cutting edge of some of the most important breakthroughs in understanding the distinctive human capacity for both incredible acts of empathy and compassion as well as mass antipathy and violence. As a result, this interdisciplinary volume promises to help shed light on some of the most pressing and complex questions of our contemporary world.
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2011
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December 9, 2021
This is one of the most intellectually electrifying books I've read all year. The combination of Girard's mimetic theory with the insights of developmental psychology, neuroscience, and anthropology is a potent brew with deep explanatory power for human nature. The essays here canvass a range of topics related to mimesis, but they all share an appreciation for the fundamental Girardian dynamic whereby mimetic desire creates individuation and social cohesion but carries within it the seed of rivalry and thus the potential for violence. We desire things because we see others desire them; we are friends because we desire the same things; we are enemies because we desire the same things to the exclusion of the other.
This volume makes clear that mimetic desire precedes any ratiocination, and appears to be part of the innate apparatus of the human condition. Infants less than a week old will mimic facial expressions. Mirror neurons and related neural architecture encode imitation within the very fabric of embodied learning. Older human infants will mimic the intended action demonstrated in a failed attempt, but will also copy unnecessary steps in a process that other apes will skip for a more practical approach. Aristotle was definitely right that humans are the most mimetic animals. We become a "self" by mirroring others first. Our incredible success as a species runs on the engine of imitation.
Honestly, the biggest issue with the mimetic theory is how powerful it is. It's hard to think of an element of human behavior or human culture untouched by mimesis, and this totalizing nature leads one to question the explanatory power of the concept. Is it too broad to be helpful? I think the answer is probably no, and Girard himself has shown that specific patterns can be elucidated from the structure of the mimetic dynamic. However, only time will tell if empirical research reinforces all of Girard's insights or if some of it is just-so stories.
I'll admit I'm basically convinced by his analyses, although my most serious doubts arise in his etiology of religion. Obviously no empirical science is riding to the rescue on the Urgrund of sacralized violence, but a lot of insights snap into place when looking at religious and cultural practices related to runaway patterns of violence and scapegoating. Many of Girard's critics fault him for privileging Christianity as the escape hatch from sacrificial cycles, but he's careful to note that it is not the exclusive locus for the insight. In the interview with him which concludes this volume, he notes similar elements in Hindu and Buddhist texts.
The question that I ponder is how our current cultural drive to recognize and root out scapegoating will play out. It's clear that the ratcheting effect of mimesis leads inexorably to conflict and rivalry and that scapegoating only works if it's not recognized as such, so what happens when you block the natural channels of that sublimated energy? I'm not sure it's anything good. I think the depressing but obvious conclusion of these preliminary empirical efforts to prove mimetic theory demonstrate that Girard is absolutely right that violence is a hard-wired part of human behavior. Our greatest strength is our greatest weakness, and what allows us to form such complex patterns of cultural grandeur from our mimetic desires is what will also inevitably lead to agonistic orgies of blood.
Back to the text itself: the biggest weakness here is a certain amount of repetition. Each piece begins with a recapitulation of the basics of mimetic theory. It's like a Festschrift kinda, or a salute to the Emperor. It's a minor complaint because the summaries are by and large well done, and subtly different enough that they can still reveal gems even in the most worked-over parts of the mine. But a heavier editorial hand likely could have streamlined things. A lot of the pieces also make reference to the same handful of studies and experiments. Get ready to hear a lot about Meltzoff and Moore's study of infant facial mimicry, the Robbers Cave Experiment, and chimps forming gangs to go attack stragglers in neighboring territories. This is largely because empirical mimetic studies are in their infancy, but also because these are all juicy examples with big implications. Glad to know those guys in pickup trucks cruising for a fight in high school were carrying on a proud great ape tradition.
I've read Girard and thought highly of his theories for decades, but this volume hit me like a bolt of lightning. The interdisciplinary approach sheds new light on his theories, and the explanatory power of these ideas is only now being uncovered. Read this if you want insight into our deepest nature, although what you'll see is the harsh truth that we are inescapably trapped in the mimetic merry-go-round, for all its good and its ill effects. Or I guess more aptly, hall of mirrors.
This volume makes clear that mimetic desire precedes any ratiocination, and appears to be part of the innate apparatus of the human condition. Infants less than a week old will mimic facial expressions. Mirror neurons and related neural architecture encode imitation within the very fabric of embodied learning. Older human infants will mimic the intended action demonstrated in a failed attempt, but will also copy unnecessary steps in a process that other apes will skip for a more practical approach. Aristotle was definitely right that humans are the most mimetic animals. We become a "self" by mirroring others first. Our incredible success as a species runs on the engine of imitation.
Honestly, the biggest issue with the mimetic theory is how powerful it is. It's hard to think of an element of human behavior or human culture untouched by mimesis, and this totalizing nature leads one to question the explanatory power of the concept. Is it too broad to be helpful? I think the answer is probably no, and Girard himself has shown that specific patterns can be elucidated from the structure of the mimetic dynamic. However, only time will tell if empirical research reinforces all of Girard's insights or if some of it is just-so stories.
I'll admit I'm basically convinced by his analyses, although my most serious doubts arise in his etiology of religion. Obviously no empirical science is riding to the rescue on the Urgrund of sacralized violence, but a lot of insights snap into place when looking at religious and cultural practices related to runaway patterns of violence and scapegoating. Many of Girard's critics fault him for privileging Christianity as the escape hatch from sacrificial cycles, but he's careful to note that it is not the exclusive locus for the insight. In the interview with him which concludes this volume, he notes similar elements in Hindu and Buddhist texts.
The question that I ponder is how our current cultural drive to recognize and root out scapegoating will play out. It's clear that the ratcheting effect of mimesis leads inexorably to conflict and rivalry and that scapegoating only works if it's not recognized as such, so what happens when you block the natural channels of that sublimated energy? I'm not sure it's anything good. I think the depressing but obvious conclusion of these preliminary empirical efforts to prove mimetic theory demonstrate that Girard is absolutely right that violence is a hard-wired part of human behavior. Our greatest strength is our greatest weakness, and what allows us to form such complex patterns of cultural grandeur from our mimetic desires is what will also inevitably lead to agonistic orgies of blood.
Back to the text itself: the biggest weakness here is a certain amount of repetition. Each piece begins with a recapitulation of the basics of mimetic theory. It's like a Festschrift kinda, or a salute to the Emperor. It's a minor complaint because the summaries are by and large well done, and subtly different enough that they can still reveal gems even in the most worked-over parts of the mine. But a heavier editorial hand likely could have streamlined things. A lot of the pieces also make reference to the same handful of studies and experiments. Get ready to hear a lot about Meltzoff and Moore's study of infant facial mimicry, the Robbers Cave Experiment, and chimps forming gangs to go attack stragglers in neighboring territories. This is largely because empirical mimetic studies are in their infancy, but also because these are all juicy examples with big implications. Glad to know those guys in pickup trucks cruising for a fight in high school were carrying on a proud great ape tradition.
I've read Girard and thought highly of his theories for decades, but this volume hit me like a bolt of lightning. The interdisciplinary approach sheds new light on his theories, and the explanatory power of these ideas is only now being uncovered. Read this if you want insight into our deepest nature, although what you'll see is the harsh truth that we are inescapably trapped in the mimetic merry-go-round, for all its good and its ill effects. Or I guess more aptly, hall of mirrors.
April 12, 2014
A must read if you're interested in Rene Girard
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews