Book Review: Michael Kirwan Discovering Girard Pp. 134 (Darton, Longman & Todd, 2004)

Book Review: Michael Kirwan Discovering Girard Pp. 134 (Darton, Longman & Todd, 2004)

Book Review:
Michael Kirwan Discovering Girard Pp. 134 (Darton, Longman & Todd, 2004)

Violence is a defining factor of our time, stories of conflict and war from around the globe dominate our headlines. Religion, rather than encouraging peace and reconciliation, has all too often been at the root of the violence. This has led many to reject religion altogether, seeing it as divisive and harmful. Rene Girard addresses this problem arguing that, distinct from other religions, Christianity ultimately denounces violence and provides a way out of the cycle of mimetic rivalry and scapegoating.   In so doing, Girard puts forward a completely new understanding of Christianity.
The writings of Rene Girard himself are extensive and cover much ground, in Discovering Girard (2004) Michael Kirwan provides a concise and incisive summary in which his appreciation of Girard’s work is evident. Kirwan sets out a clear and accessible introduction to the main themes of Girard’s work. The book is divided into five chapters, the first three deal with the three main parts of Girard’s theory: the development of mimetic theory; the scapegoat mechanism; and an interpretation of the Christian message in the light of these ideas. The final two chapters deal with method, criticisms and the future of Girard’s theory.
In the introduction to Discovering Girard, Kirwan likens Girard’s work to a ‘thriller’. Girard, in his many books, articles and interviews moves back and forth between key ideas looking for clues and evidence that will help him to formulate an answer to a question which concerns him greatly: what are we to make of religion? The indirect nature of Girard’s writing as well as his involvement in many disciplines can make his work difficult to engage with, as he himself admits. The value of Kirwan’s summary lies in it’s ability to organise and present Girard’s ideas with clarity and coherence, this makes it an ideal book for anyone wanting a good introduction...