Series: Violence, Desire, and the Sacred

In a new historical interpretation of the relationship between Australia and East Timor, Susan Connelly draws on the mimetic theory of René Girard to show how the East Timorese people were scapegoated by Australian foreign policy during the 20th century. Charting key developments in East Timor’s history and applying three aspects of Girard’s framework – the scapegoat, texts of persecution...

As artificial intelligence assumes increasing prominence in our lives, a host of questions arise, particularly if one holds a view of humans as inherently social or mimetic, such as René Girard. Does the potential for self-awareness in artificial intelligence come with mimetic desire in the way Girard claims it does for human beings? Thomas Ryba and Sandor Goodhart bring together...