Mimetic Desire and Mechanisms of Sacrifice: A Critical Analysis of René Girard’s Theory of Violence

Abstract

René Girard’s theory of mimetic desire, sacrificial mechanism, and violence has significantly shaped interdisciplinary analyses of social conflict. According to Girard, desire is not autonomous but imitative, generating rivalry and ultimately a mimetic crisis. This crisis, he argues, is resolved through sacrificial mechanisms that direct collective violence toward a scapegoat, restoring social stability. His seminal works, Violence and the Sacred (1977) and The Scapegoat (1986), and his most comprehensive synthesis, Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World (1987), offer both historical analysis of sacrificial rituals and theoretical tools for interpreting modern social phenomena. Employing a methodology of comparative theoretical analysis and critical textual inquiry, this article critically engages with Girard’s framework. It highlights the theory’s limitations in addressing anthropological and historical diversity, its theological underpinnings, and its antagonism toward psychoanalytic and Marxist approaches. Drawing on critical animal studies, the paper interrogates Girard’s human-animal dichotomy and examines the implications of his theory for critiquing speciesism. Additionally, the article explores the theoretical tension between Girard’s Hobbesian view of violence as innate and Kropotkin’s anarchist vision of mutual aid. By integrating these critiques, the paper evaluates Girard’s relevance to contemporary issues such as digital shaming, identity politics, xenophobia, and ecological collapse. While Girard’s model remains a powerful tool for analyzing modern violence, it requires a critical reassessment that incorporates speciesism, social plurality, and anarchist perspectives.

Keywords

• René Girard
• mimetic desire
• sacrificial mechanism
• critical animal studies
• anarchism

Mimetik Arzu ve Kurban Mekanizmaları: René Girard’ın Şiddet Teorisi Üzerine Eleştirel Bir İnceleme

Öz

René Girard’ın mimetik arzu, kurban etme ve şiddet kuramı, toplumsal çatışmaların çözümüne dair önemli teorik araçlar sunmuştur. Girard’a göre arzu bireysel değil, taklit yoluyla edinilir; bu durum rekabeti ve sonunda mimetik krizi doğurur. Toplumlar, bu krizi bir kurban mekanizması aracılığıyla çözerek şiddeti günah keçisine yönlendirir ve istikrarı yeniden sağlar. Violence and the Sacred (1977) ile The Scapegoat (1986) eserleri, hem tarihsel ritüelleri açıklamakta hem de modern toplumsal olgulara yönelik bir çerçeve sunmaktadır. Bu makale, Girard’ın kuramını destekleyici yönleriyle birlikte eleştirel biçimde ele almaktadır. Özellikle antropolojik ve tarihsel çeşitliliği göz ardı etmesi, teolojik altyapısı ve psikanaliz ile Marksizm karşıtlığı eleştiriye konu edilmektedir. Eleştirel hayvan çalışmaları perspektifinden, insan-hayvan ayrımı ve türcülük bağlamındaki sınırları sorgulanmaktadır. Ayrıca, Girard’ın şiddeti doğallaştıran Thomas Hobbesçu yaklaşımı ile Pyotr Kropotkin’in anarşist karşılıklı yardımlaşma anlayışı arasındaki kuramsal gerilim incelenmektedir. Son olarak, dijital linç kültürü, kimlik politikaları, göçmen karşıtlığı ve ekolojik krizler gibi çağdaş sorunlara Girard’ın teorisinin nasıl uygulanabileceği tartışılmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• René Girard
• mimetik arzu
• kurban mekanizması
• eleştirel hayvan çalışmaları
• anarşizm

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