Deceit and Desire: Rene Girard's Mimetic Theory, an introduction

label Diverse autorenew 2025-09-29, 17:01 history_edu Cristian Ion
Understanding Society is the slogan of Tilburg University. This slogan is highly challenging, given the many perspectives and assumptions that we start from. The society that is studied in the sciences is not always the same as the society that we experience personally. The French-American thinker Rene Girard has developed an intriguing grand vision on the foundations and the future of human society. According to him, the truth of society, and of ourselves, is hard to find because of the lies that help us to survive, collectively and individually. On the basis of his analysis of modern novels, ancient texts and anthropological results Girard developed the so-called mimetic theory that is recognized now in a broad range of fields, from theology and literature theory to anthropology and economics. The MT has interesting links with recent research in developmental and neural psychology. The theory also inspired many people with a fresh look on themselves and their own relationships.Mimesis is the Greek word for imitation. According to Aristotle, the human kind distinguishes itself from animals in being more mimetic, more inclined to imitation. If that is the case, what does that mean for our desires (or in economic terms, for our preferences)? And what are the consequences for our living together and society as a whole?

Period
14-07-2014 - 22-07-2014 (2 weeks)

Target group
Graduate students or undergraduates

Course aim
The goal of this summer school is to provide a general introduction to the mimetic theory (MT) of Ren Girard and discuss it in an interdisciplinary and international group setting. We will read key texts of Girard and discuss applications of the theory in different disciplines. You will be challenged to apply the theory yourself to new cases, preferably in your own discipline.



Credits
0.0 ECTS credits

Course fee
EUR 295[Convert to USD]This includes additional teaching materials and a joint dinner on the first day. The course fee does not cover accommodation, travel costs and the cost for the social program.

Course leader
Dr. Hans Weigand

Tilburg University International Office
Address: PO Box 90153 International Office P 2.219
Postal code: 5000LE
City: Tilburg
Country: Netherlands
Website: http://tilburguniversity.nl/summerschool
E-mail: summerschool@tilburguniversity.nl
Phone: 0031134663743 (or 8911)