Ren? Girard and Creative Reconciliation [Hardcover]

The contribution of this book to the field of reconciliation is both theoretical and practical, recognizing that good theory guides effective practice and practice is the ground for compelling theory. Using a Girardian hermeneutic as a starting point, a new conceptual Gestalt emerges in these essays, one not fully integrated in a formal way but showing a clear understanding of some of the challenges and possibilities for dealing with the deep divisions, enmity, hatred, and other effects of violence. By situating discourse about reconciliation within the context of Girardian thought, it becomes clear thatlike Peter who vowed he would never deny Jesus but ended up doing it three timesany of us is susceptible to the siren call of angry resentment and retaliation. It is with a profound awareness of the power of violence that the emergence of mimetic discourse around reconciliation takes on particular urgency.

Vern Neufeld Redekop is a full professor in the School of Conflict Studies at Saint Paul University, Ottawa. He is the co-author of Introduction to Conflict Studies: Empirical, Theoretical, and Ethical Dimensions (2012) and Beyond Control: A Mutual Respect Approach to Protest Crowd  Police Relations (2010).

Thomas Ryba is Notre Dame Theologian-in-Residence at the Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center as well as lecturer in philosophy and religious studies and adjunct professor of Jewish studies at Purdue University.

Professor Rene Girard contended that mimetic violence and rivalry are at the center of all conflict and the sacrifice of a victim brings about harmony until the next round of conflict escalation. Dr. Vern Redekop and Dr. Thomas Ryba break new ground in the Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) field by applying Girards often-viewed controversial theory of violence to the reconciliation, forgiveness, and nonviolent processes of societies transitioning out of violence. This new study is a must read for PACS students, scholars, and practitiol#-