Publications of the 2003 Conference in Innsbruck
Palaver, Wolfgang and Steinmair-Pösel, Petra (Eds.)
Passions in Economy, Politics, and the Media: In Discussion with Christian Theology
Beiträge zur mimetischen Theorie vol. 17. Münster: LIT 2005.
528 S., paperback, 34.90 EUR, ISBN 3-8258-7822-8 (LIT)
Passions play an important role in economy, politics and the media. Recent discussions of the economy, for instance, do no longer hesitate to stress the importance of a passion like envy functioning as a driving force in this field. Also the world of advertising illustrates the impor-tance of passions in the economy. Modern forms of politics, on the contrary, claimed to be de-tached from passions and to rely solely on rationality. Recent developments since the end of the cold war, however, have clearly challenged this self-understanding of modern politics. Not even politics can escape the world of passions. In our days, both the economy and politics de-pend on the media, another example of a highly passionate realm.
Passions also have an important religious dimension. One of the central questions of any great religion is how to deal with passions. This book offers an interdisciplinary approach to the phenomenon of passions in the fields of economy, politics, and the media, drawing on René Girard’s mimetic theory as a common focusing lens. It promotes a deeper understanding of the religious dimensions of capitalism, the contemporary return of religion to politics and the religious implications of modern mass media.
For a detailed table of contents go here!
CONTAGION:
JOURNAL OF VIOLENCE, MIMESIS, AND CULTURE
VOLUME 11 (SPRING 2004)
About half of the issue is dedicated to papers presented at the COV&R conference 2003 at Innsbruck.
For a detailed table of contents go here!
Imitazione creativa: Evoluzione e paradossi del desiderio
a cura di Raffaella Trigona
Bergamo: Moretti & Vitali, 2004. pp. 159, Euro 14,00
ISBN 88-7186-280-5
La teoria mimetica di René Girard come chiave interpretativa di testi letterari è al centro di questa raccolta di saggi. I diversi contributi sono stati selezionati dal curatore partendo da una premessa teorica specifica: le opere d’arte e della letteratura hanno un valore cognitivo, sociale e pedagogico, la cui peculiarità è in grado di rendere visibile la complessità delle dinamiche del desiderio mimetico. Emergono così, attraverso questo percorso ragionato, una critica all’applicazione riduzionistica della teoria mimetica di Girard all’analisi di testi e un’originale lettura antropologica della creazione letteraria e del mondo dell’immaginario.