René Girard occupied seat 37 of the Académie française from 2005 until his death in 2015, marking the culmination of a career spent analyzing the mimetic nature of human desire. His scholarship bridged history, literary criticism, and anthropology, providing a framework that interpreted culture, religion, and social violence through the lens of imitative behavior and the scapegoat mechanism.
Early Academic Formation
Born in Avignon in 1923, Girard attended the École des chartes between 1943 and 1947, where he focused on medieval history. His thesis analyzed private life in Avignon during the latter half of the 15th century. In 1947, he relocated to the United States to attend Indiana University Bloomington, earning a PhD in 1950 with a dissertation on American perceptions of France. Though trained as a historian, he began teaching French literature, a pivot that allowed him to explore the psychological underpinnings of fictional narratives.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Development of Mimetic Theory
Girard identified human desire as a fundamentally imitative process. Rather than originating spontaneously within the individual, desire arises by copying the focus of another person, creating a triangular relationship between the subject, the object, and the model. He first articulated this theory in his 1961 work, Deceit, Desire, and the Novel. This concept suggests that when multiple individuals desire the same object, conflict is inevitable, potentially leading to widespread social violence. Communities historically resolved this instability by scapegoating a single individual, whose expulsion or death served to unify the group.
Institutional Career
Girard held numerous academic appointments throughout his career, teaching at Duke University, Bryn Mawr College, and the University at Buffalo. He spent significant periods at Johns Hopkins University, where, in 1966, he co-organized the influential colloquium 'The Languages of Criticism and the Sciences of Man.' He joined the faculty of Stanford University in 1980, serving there until his retirement in 1995. His later publications, including The Scapegoat and I See Satan Fall Like Lightning, applied his theories to the interpretation of biblical texts.
Recognition and Legacy
His intellectual contributions were acknowledged through various honors, including the Dr. Leopold Lucas Prize in 2006 and the William Riley Parker Prize in 1965. He held honorary doctorates from institutions such as the University of Antwerp, the Catholic University of Paris, and the University of Innsbruck. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres. Following his conversion to Catholicism, his work increasingly integrated religious studies, ultimately influencing fields as diverse as economics, theology, and psychology.
Fast facts
- Born: 1923, Avignon
- Died: 2015, Stanford
- Education: École des chartes, Indiana University Bloomington
- Notable Work: Violence and the Sacred
- Académie française seat: 37
- Citizenship: France, United States
- Religion: Catholicism
Questions readers ask
What is mimetic theory?
It is the proposition that human desire is not spontaneous but imitative, leading individuals to pursue the same objects and creating rivalry that is often resolved through the scapegoating of a victim.
What was René Girard’s academic background?
He was trained as a medieval historian at the École des chartes before moving into literary criticism, anthropology, and religious studies while teaching at various American universities.
Achievements
- Knight of the Legion of Honour
- Notable work: Violence and the Sacred
