René Girard and His Critics: The Theological Compatibility and Framework of His Early Mimetic Theory

Abstract

Theologians such as Sarah Coakley have recently argued that René Girard’s mimetic theory is incompatible with fundamental Catholic doctrines. Particular criticism is made of Girard’s early and foundational work on human desire and the formation of culture. In this essay, I address these major criticisms by systematically engaging Girard’s understandings of desire and culture from the earliest stages of his work. In doing this, I demonstrate the compatibility of his work with key Catholic doctrines and the way that Catholic theology provides an appropriate theological framework for Girard’s ideas, including from the earliest stages of his work.