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From the mimetic desire that ignites human societies to the denunciation mechanism that suppresses them, René Girard navigates this conceptual landscape with firm conviction. At the Mediterranean University Center (CUM) in Nice, Benoît Girard, the distinguished anthropologist’s great-nephew, delivered a thoughtful lecture entitled Violence and the Sacred: From Novel to Sacrifice, to commemorate the centenary of René Girard’s birth. How did this expert on Stendhal reconnect with the seminal themes of classical anthropology, and how did his return to foundational ideas revolutionize the realm of human sciences?
An authority on religious wars, a committee member of the Society of Friends of Joseph & René Girard aiming to transmit a critical memory of René Girard’s thought for its modern relevance and the editor-in-chief of the journal Antigone, endorsed by the French Academy, Benoît Girard adeptly unpacked the transition “from a literary theory of the novel to an anthropological theory that echoes the most pressing issue of our world: violence.”
Born in Avignon in 1923, René Girard pursued his studies at the École des Chartes before relocating to the United States in 1947 on a French government scholarship. By the late 1950s, he held a professorship in French literature at Johns Hopkins University, subsequently continuing his illustrious academic tenure at Stanford University from 1980 until his retirement in 1995. Elected to the French Academy in 2005, he passed away a decade later at Stanford. In his seminal work published in 1961, Mensonge romantique et Vérité romanesque (Romantic Lies and Novelistic Truth), he dissected literary masterpieces by authors such as Cervantes, Stendhal, Proust and Dostoevsky, concluding that characters operate under similar relational dynamics. Girard speculated a theory of desire: humans are fundamentally incapable of independent desire; rather, they require the intercession of a third party. This desire doesn’t follow a linear trajectory but is mediated through another, forming a triangular pattern. He famously penned, “Each believes himself to be alone in hell, and that is hell.”
Benoît Girard suggests, “René Girard’s philosophy is dynamic, challenging preconceived notions about the world. The intricacies of desire, as demonstrated in René Girard’s analysis of the relationship between Julien Sorel and Mathilde de La Mole in Le Rouge et le Noir (The Red and the Black), oscillate between revelation and concealment. To profess love is to admit desire. However, such acknowledgment diminishes allure. This dilemma harks back to the elemental question, ‘What is language?'”
René Girard’s trajectory intersected with the zeitgeist of the 1960s deconstructionist movement. He introduced the United States to the French theory, encapsulating the language deconstruction work of luminaries such as Roland Barthes and Jacques Derrida. However, as he dissected desire, he sought to unearth a pathway to reality, rather than merely asserting the performative nature of language. Consequently, he found himself in a paradoxical position.
He later revisited the theories of 19th-century anthropologists, critically assessing certain concepts posited by Freud and Lévi-Strauss. At its core, humanity exhibits mimetic tendencies. While imitation facilitates learning, desire for identical objects can foster rivalry, jeopardizing societal cohesion. Mimetic desire and ensuing rivalry propelled Girard to centralize violence in his anthropological thesis, leading him to study archaic religious societies.
Foundational myths often recount fratricidal violence, ensuing in societal chaos. The challenge then becomes harnessing mimesis, which inherently sows discord, as an instrument of order. Benoît Girard elucidates this transition: “The collective designates a scapegoat, responsible for societal unrest, eventually leading to their execution. The community’s focus on this chosen individual fosters reconciliation. Once order is restored, this victim is revered and even deified due to their perceived salvatory role. However, as societal tensions resurface, this cycle of sacrifice persists, with subsequent victims regarded as sacred. Deities, in essence, are these very sacrificial beings.”
Regarding myths, he states, “Myths represent a community’s recounting of collective killings, narratives that obfuscate the truth. Girard’s endeavor lies in deciphering these mythic structures. While societies have perpetuated the beneficial outcomes of these sacrifices, rituals and prohibitions ensure that the underlying violence remains unacknowledged.”
In La violence et le sacré (Violence and the Sacred), published in 1972, Girard demonstrates that the denunciation mechanism invades all cultures. Despite their variances, there’s a cultural unity rooted in religious foundations, all aimed at curtailing mimetic rivalries and staving off resurgent violence. “The crucifixion of Christ epitomizes this sacrificial mechanism. The Gospels unveil the innocence of Christ, the archetypal scapegoat, underscoring violence as the bedrock of human civilization,” adds the historian.
As Benoît Girard further expounds, contemporary anthropologists during Girard’s era often dismissed myths as fabrications. Girard’s approach, aiming to encapsulate the entirety of human culture, was thus perceived as iconoclastic, a sentiment that persists today. Girard perceived a cohesive treasure trove within 19th and early 20th-century anthropological works, which he adeptly synthesized.
Today, many regard René Girard as a Christian apologist, influenced by his own theories. Dismissed by secular anthropologists, he purportedly claimed to be the pioneer of an atheistic theory of religiosity. Commencing with violence, he captures the essence of religion in its profound reflections on reality. Benoît Girard emphasizes, “Girard challenges contemporary scientific perspectives, bridging the chasm between science and faith. In essence, religious thought propels humanity towards an understanding of reality.”
Alice Djermakian
