| Description |
1 online resource (xxxvi, 75 pages) |
| Series |
Breakthroughs in mimetic theory |
|
Breakthroughs in mimetic theory.
|
| Contents |
Anorexia and the spirit of the times / Mark R. Anspach -- Eating disorders and mimetic desire / René Girard -- A conversation with René Girard, with Mark R. Anspach and Laurence Tacou |
| Summary |
The author argues that all desires are contagious - and the desire to be thin is no exception. In this compelling work, the author ties the anorexia epidemic to what he calls mimetic desire: a desire imitated from a model. He 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, the author asks, how can we convince anorexic patients to have a healthy outlook on eating? Mixing theoretical sophistication with irreverent common sense, the author 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 the author, Anspach, and Laurence Tacou |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references |
| Notes |
Print version record |
| Subject |
Anorexia nervosa.
|
|
Anorexia nervosa -- Psychological aspects
|
|
Desire (Philosophy)
|
|
Philosophy, French -- 20th century.
|
|
Anorexia Nervosa
|
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PHILOSOPHY -- General.
|
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Anorexia nervosa
|
|
Anorexia nervosa -- Psychological aspects
|
|
Desire (Philosophy)
|
|
Philosophy, French
|
| Form |
Electronic book
|
| Author |
Anspach, Mark R
|
| ISBN |
9781609173760 |
|
1609173767 |
|
9781628960372 |
|
162896037X |
|
