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

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.

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.

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