Vengeance in Reverse: The Tangled Loops of Violence, Myth, and Madness (Studies in Violence, Mimesis & Culture) - Softcover

Mark R. Anspach (author)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1611862388 ISBN 13: 9781611862386

Publisher: Michigan State University Press, 2017

Synopsis

How do humans stop fighting? Where do the gods of myth come from? What does it mean to go mad? Mark R. Anspach tackles these and other conundrums as he draws on ethnography, literature, psychotherapy, and the theory of René Girard to explore some of the fundamental mechanisms of human interaction. Likening gift exchange to vengeance in reverse, the first part of the book outlines a fresh approach to reciprocity, while the second part traces the emergence of transcendence in collective myths and individual delusions. From the peacemaking rituals of prestate societies to the paradoxical structure of consciousness, Anspach takes the reader on an intellectual journey that begins with the problem of how to deceive violence and ends with the riddle of how one can deceive oneself.

About this title

About the Author

Mark R. Anspach is an American anthropologist and social theorist whose writings have appeared in nine languages. He is affiliated with the LIAS research team at the Institut Marcel Mauss, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris.

Edition details

• Publisher: Michigan State University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1611862388
• ISBN 13: 9781611862386
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 133