Transcripts of Girard Lectures on Mimetic Theory

Version: 7 (current) | Updated: 11/12/2025, 3:05:04 AM

Added description

Description

Transcripts of Girard Lectures on Mimetic Theory

Overview

This archival item consists of seven PDF transcripts (I–VII) of a lecture series delivered by French historian and philosopher René Girard. The documents are in English, produced by the Arke Institute as part of its “Girard Lecture Series.” Each file contains a verbatim transcript of a single lecture, complete with footnotes and bibliographic references. The PDFs range in size from approximately 600 KB to 900 KB.

Background

René Girard (1923‑2015) is best known for developing the theory of mimetic desire, which posits that human desire is imitative and that this imitation drives rivalry, violence, and the scapegoat mechanism. His scholarship extends to the origins of original sin, theodicy, and the role of Christian revelation in resolving communal violence. The lecture series was organized by the Arke Institute to disseminate Girard’s ideas to a broader academic audience. While the exact dates of the lectures are not specified in the metadata, the transcripts were created in the early 21st century, reflecting Girard’s mature work.

Contents

  • Lecture I–VII: Full transcripts of each lecture, including Girard’s spoken text, explanatory footnotes, and a bibliography of cited works.
  • Supplementary Material: Each PDF contains a title page, a brief introduction, and a list of references. No audio or visual recordings are included.

Scope

The collection covers the core concepts of Girard’s mimetic theory: mimetic desire, rivalry, the scapegoat mechanism, original sin, theodicy, and the Christian revelation’s role in mitigating violence. It is limited to textual transcripts in English and does not include the original French lectures, recordings, or ancillary visual aids. Geographically, the content is centered on Western philosophical and theological traditions, with a focus on French intellectual history. The material is suitable for scholars of comparative literature, anthropology, theology, and social theory who require primary source transcripts of Girard’s lectures.

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Raw Cheimarros Data

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Metadata

Title
Transcripts of Girard Lectures on Mimetic Theory
Type
Text
Creator
René Girard
Institution
arke
Created
YYYY
Language
en
Subjects
Mimetic Theory, Mimetic Rivalry, Mimetic Desire, Original Sin, Theodicy, Scapegoat Mechanism, Christian Revelation, Modernity
Source
PINAX

Version History (7 versions)

  • ✓ v7 (current) · 11/12/2025, 3:05:04 AM
    "Added description"
  • v6 · 11/12/2025, 3:04:25 AM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v5 · 11/12/2025, 3:03:14 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v4 · 11/12/2025, 3:02:58 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 1 groups"
  • v3 · 11/12/2025, 3:02:57 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01K9V08B37C3CNTWH3WJFK7T7C"
  • v2 · 11/12/2025, 3:02:43 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01K9V07VMXDS5EPWJ3E61YCWS9"
  • v1 · 11/12/2025, 3:02:41 AM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

All files in the directory are transcripts of Girard's lectures, forming a coherent series. Therefore, they are grouped together under 'Girard_Lecture_Transcripts' to reflect their thematic and sequential relationship. No files were left ungrouped as they all fit logically into this single category.

## Groups Created

- **Girard_Lecture_Transcripts**: These files are transcripts of lectures by Girard, covering various topics related to mimetic theory, Christian revelation, and modernity. They are logically grouped together as they form a series of lectures.

Parent

↑ 01K9V07VMXDS5EPWJ3E61YCWS9

Children (2)