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

Authors : Erhan Korkmaz

Pages : 490-502

Doi:10.47777/cankujhss.1676262

View : 75 | Download : 687

Publication Date : 2025-12-29

Article Type : Research Paper

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

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