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René Girard, Ph.D.
(Co-Investigator)
René Girard is the retired Andrew B. Hammond Professor of French Language, Literature, and Civilization Emeritus at Stanford University. His work has inspired scholars from many diverse fields through his theories of human desire and of the significance of violence and religion in the formation of human culture. Although these ideas grew out of his interest in French literature, they have been recognized for their far-reaching implications, with his "mimetic theory of desire" perhaps among the most widely discussed. Professor Girard's many influential books include Violence and the Sacred (John Hopkins Press, 1977); The Scapegoat (John Hopkins Press, 1986); and Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World (Stanford University Press, 1987). Born in Avignon, Professor Girard studied archival sciences at the Ecole Nationale de Chartes before moving to the U.S. and receiving his Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1950. He has taught at many colleges and universities, including Indiana, Duke, Bryn Mawr, Buffalo, and Johns Hopkins. In 1981, he was appointed Professor of French Language, Literature, and Civilization at Stanford, where he later held the title of Hammond Professor of Romance Languages until his recent retirement. His work was central to the creation of the field of generative anthropology, as well as the inspiration for the formation of the international Colloquium on Violence and Religion (COV&R). He was elected to the Académie française, the highest rank for French intellectuals, on March 17, 2005.
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