Anorexia and mimetic desire

The Resource Anorexia and mimetic desire

Label

Anorexia and mimetic desire

Statement of responsibility

René Girard ; translated by Mark R. Anspach

Language

Summary

Ren Girard shows that all desires are contagious and the desire to be thin is no exception. In this compelling new book, Girard ties the anorexia epidemic to what he calls mimetic desire: a desire imitated from a model. Girard has long argued that, far from being spontaneous, our most intimate desires are copied from what we see around us. In a culture obsessed with thinness, the rise of eating disorders should be no surprise. When everyone is trying to slim down, Girard asks, how can we convince anorexic patients to have a healthy outlook on eating? Mixing theoretical sophistication with irreverent common sense, Girard denounces a culture of anorexia and takes apart the competitive impulse that fuels the game of conspicuous non-consumption. He shows that showing off a slim physique is not enough the real aim is to be skinnier than one's rivals. In the race to lose the most weight, the winners are bound to be thinner and thinner. Taken to extremes, this tendency to escalation can only lead to tragic results. Featuring a foreword by neuropsychiatrist Jean-Michel Oughourlian and an introductory essay by anthropologist Mark R. Anspach, the volume concludes with an illuminating conversation between Ren Girard, Mark R. Anspach, and Laurence Tacou

Cataloging source

E7B

Dewey number

616.85/262

Index

no index present

LC call number

RC552.A5

LC item number

G57 2013eb

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

dictionaries
bibliography

Series statement

Breakthroughs in mimetic theory

Context

Context of Anorexia and mimetic desire

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Anorexia and mimetic desire

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The work Anorexia and mimetic desire represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Missouri Libraries. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Context

Work of

Anorexia and mimetic desire Resource Information The work Anorexia and mimetic desire represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Missouri Libraries. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Context

Work of

Anorexia and mimetic desire

Resource Information

The work Anorexia and mimetic desire represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Missouri Libraries. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.