Is Mimetic Desire a Root Cause of Religious Violence in Tanzania? An Analysis of Girardian – Mimetic Desire Theory
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21815488 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thomas Ndaluka (0000-0002-4552-5260, University of Dar es Salaam, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Pages | 58-79 |
| Publication date | 2020-06-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Tanzania Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1821-9632 • E-ISSN: 2591-6963 |
| Publisher | University of Dar es Salaam - DIGITAL COMMONS JOURNALS (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.56279/tajoso.v6i.37 |
| OpenAlex | W4324004794 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 12 |
Mimetic desire theory is widely available in the Western debates and has informed thinking and arguments in the disciplines ofliterature, sociology, anthropology, religion, theology, and political science in the Western Universities. Unfortunately, thereare rare or limited debates on the application of the mimetic desire theory in Africa in general and Tanzania in particular. This article, therefore, attempts to [re]introduce the theory founded by René Girard – the Mimetic desire theory focusing on the causes of religious violence in Tanzania. The article uses information gathered from two case studies i.e. from Dar es Salaam and GeitaRegions to argue that indeed religious violence in the country is the result of mimesis. The article argues that, Christians have imitated the act of slaughtering animals by Muslims, the resultant of which was violence between Muslims and Christians in the country. The article also adds that religion, however, was not the sole cause of violence in the country. Other factors such as economic marginalisation and power relations were at the core. Moreover, the masses actively and consciously chose the victims (scapegoats) for sacrificial purposes. The paper concludes that society must empower all citizens, regardless of their beliefs, to access the desired objects (scarce resources) in order to maintain peaceful coexistence. The article recommends more debate and studies on the analysis of the Girardian mimetic desire theory
Political science · Politics · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Tanzania · African cultural and philosophical studies · Gender Studies · Law · Religion and Sociopolitical Dynamics in Nigeria · Violence, Religion, and Philosophy
The sacred canopy
The McDonaldization of society
Cultural Complexity
Glocalization
Race, Nation, and Citizenship in Post-Colonial Africa
Langage et pouvoir symbolique
The Many Altars of Modernity
Religious Discourse, Social Cohesion and Conflict
Religious Tolerance, Transnational Dynamics and the State in Tanzania
The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order
The genealogy of violence
Desecularization
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,25 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2022 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |