Violence and the Sacred

Author Rene Girard's groundbreaking text on ritual sacrifice and violence is nothing short of extraordinary. Girard tackles the seemingly taboo origins of sacrifice, cultural order as a result, and how violence is as ingrained in our humanity as much as our need for nourishment. Particularly how the act of sacrifice (born out of violence) has influenced societies collective notion of what is "sacred" and what is not. This aspect of necessary sacrifice and violence has manifested in religious rites, particularly the "theory of the surrogate victim." This key part of Girard's theory of generative violence offers an explanation of the primordial role that religion plays in primitive societies and of man's ignorance of this role. Girard also discloses the nature of violence not only during life but after death. The passage into death, Girard asserts, "by a member of the community may provoke (among other difficulties) quarrels among the survivors, for this is always the problem of how to redistribute the dead man's belongings. In order to meet the threat of maleficent contagion the community must have recourse to the universal model, to generative violence; it must attend to the advice of the sacred itself." From modern religious beliefs to the metaphorical tales and parables of mythology Girard shows that violence is a natural outgrowth and need of our physical composition and mental attributes. The truth of Girard's assertions can be found in the historical annals of every race and culture by examining their cultures and beliefs; all of which idealize instead of unilaterally eschew violence through sacrifice. This is not to be confused with the prohibition of murder, for example, which has been and is enforced in nearly every society. I see Girard's work as unique, powerful, and more important, insightful. This text represents a seminal thrust into previously unchartered territory. A hallmark at five stars without reservation. JP

In this book, Rene Girard tries to propound a new theory of sacrifice, religion, myth, tragedy, incest, and taboo. His basic thesis is that sacrificing a scapegoat was the way primitive societies overcame the natural lawless violence (mimetic desire) of their societies by re-directing it on a sacrifical victim. To explain his thesis, Girard studies sacrifical rites of the world and especially the ancient world and primitive societies, as also the tragedies of Sophocles and Euripedes, particulary those that pertain to Oedipus and Dionysos. He gives a radically new interpretation of Oedipal tragedy taking Freud into a radical new direction, and explains why incest was feared because of its effect of leveling distinctions. His interpretation of Dionysos is singularly brilliant. According to Girard, leveling distinctions or eliminating differences removes the safegaurds that contain violence in primitive societies (he states that our safegaurd - law - is itself based on the concept of sacrifice to restore order) and hence anything that levels distinctions was feared. He also shows how the various sacrifical animals or men have the chracteristics of inside/outside with respect to the community. The book does have its drawbacks, but is intellectually stimulating. The main hallmark of this work is that it de-mystifies religion and especially represents the most convincing theory of sacrifice and tragedy I have read. As far as the drawbacks are concerned, the theory is rigorously argued in the beginning but thins out towards the end of the book. As a theory of sacrifice, his evidence supports him. As an interpretation of certain myths and as an explanation of incest and African kingship rites, he is close. However when he streches it to explain origin of religion, kinship rules, all kinds of rites etc., his argument often wears thin. There is also a question of unanswered ethical import - is sacrifice legitimate because it prevents communities from collapsing?

Violence and religion have gone hand in hand as far back as we have records, from Dionysian revels and ancient human sacrifice to contemporary fundamentalisms that would destroy entire nations or races to preserve some particular version of Truth. In "Violence and the Sacred," Rene Girard attempts nothing less than to expose the entire history of this alliance. It is impossible to give an adequate summary of this comprehensive and closely reasoned book. But briefly, Girard argues that - pre-historically - it was precisely acts of communal violence and the resulting shock and collective repression that resulted from these acts that generated our very sense of the sacred. And our continuing violence, in all its forms, is a history of attempts to re-experience transcendence. (A word of caution: Early on, those with religious convictions may be tempted to conclude that Girard is reducing religion to a form of collective guilt. **He is not.** Girard is a Christian, and has progressed from literary criticism to critical theory to active efforts to promote methods of constructive, peaceful conflict resolution.) In fleshing out this theory, Girard leans heavily on his insights into the mimetic and violent nature of desire (see his earlier "Deceit, Desire, and the Novel"), and he links mimetic desire, our tendency to marginalize and scapegoat those who are "different," our tendency toward violence, and our experience of ultimate otherness (the sacred). One of the most impressive aspects of this book is that it constitutes, simultaneously, a response not only to the questions of the origins of violence and religion, but to the key 19th century theorists Marx , Freud (the primal horde scenario, and repression), and Nietzsche, **and** to their late-20th century heirs - Foucault, Lacan, and Derrida (differance). In the end, however, it was not simply Girard's argument that convinced me, impeccable as it seems. Rather, after working through this book, I began to see the mechanisms of mimetic violence in operation all around me - and within me, as well: consumerism driven by manufactured "needs," road rage, sibling rivalry, not to mention shamefully misdirected nationalism. In my opinion, this is a very important book. By exposing the mimetic nature of violence and its subtle, often hidden workings, Girard - like a good therapist - gives us a tool to identify and begin to change deeply entrenched patterns of response, in ourselves and the world. But this is not a self-help book. It's a mature work of social and critical theory, and is definitely not light reading. If you take on "Violence and the Sacred," stick with it. It will change the way you see the world!

Those who read contemporary French criticism will understand where Kristeva and others culled their best insights. Girard shows how violence both generates and destroys cultural order. Religious attempts to curtail violence, and modern secularists remain more ignorant than ever of the "virus" of violence, which they displace onto the secondary realm of sexuality. Girard is most brilliant when revealing how myths occlude persecution, scapegoating, and surrogate victimization. Essential reading for feminists as Girard indirectly reveals that women (via Freud) have become the surrogate victims du jour of man's power to evade confronation with his own violence.

This book was an unexpected pleasure. Mythology and cultural anthropology have always been of interest to me, but Girard's scintillating and illuminating ideas, in my opinion, blast through the ubiquitious shadows which cling to and obscure our broader vision. I loved it -- not because of the often revolting realities of human nature which it illuminates, but because of it's unswerving quest for truth. Great!