Stories
A Crisis of Legitimacy: America’s Capitol Riot and the Danger She Faces Now
For an external observer—say, a Canadian living in Japan—what happened at the American Capitol on January 6 was shocking and unbelievable. “Is this really the United States?” they might ask: that an angry mob should storm the Capitol where Congress sat certifying the...
Who is Out to Get Us? Examining Our Oppositional Identities
I hate babies—especially my own. When I was still very young, I forgot everything scary about being an infant. Part of growing up is distinguishing yourself from those other little bundles of rage as soon as possible: “I’m not a...
Pessimism & Hope
Humans are always looking for a model —sometimes consciously, usually unconsciously. In conflict situations, it is easy to fall into narratives of violent heroism and the alluring simplicity of good versus bad. I recently spoke with a scholar and activist in the...
Don’t Let the Virus Divide Us: Building Community Amid a Pandemic
I live as an interreligious community-builder. What this means is that I bring together diverse communities of faith and/or practice in various locations around the continent. The groups are multi-leveled, too, designed to reflect not just religious...
Latest Stories
A Crisis of Legitimacy: America’s Capitol Riot and the Danger She Faces Now
For an external observer—say, a Canadian living in Japan—what happened at the American Capitol on January 6 was shocking and unbelievable. “Is this really the United States?” they might ask: that an angry mob should storm the Capitol where Congress sat certifying the...
Who is Out to Get Us? Examining Our Oppositional Identities
I hate babies—especially my own. When I was still very young, I forgot everything scary about being an infant. Part of growing up is distinguishing yourself from those other little bundles of rage as soon as possible: “I’m not a...
Pessimism & Hope
Humans are always looking for a model —sometimes consciously, usually unconsciously. In conflict situations, it is easy to fall into narratives of violent heroism and the alluring simplicity of good versus bad. I recently spoke with a scholar and activist in the...
Don’t Let the Virus Divide Us: Building Community Amid a Pandemic
I live as an interreligious community-builder. What this means is that I bring together diverse communities of faith and/or practice in various locations around the continent. The groups are multi-leveled, too, designed to reflect not just religious...
Flatten the Curve of Violent Conflict
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WajLku2pkF8&feature=emb_title Over the last several years, many of those working towards a nonviolent future have begun to think of War as a Disease Epidemic. So when the novel Coronavirus outbreak began to reach across the...
Nonpartisanship in an Age of Division
NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE, DEFENSE, AND CIVILIAN PROTECTION People usually associate nonviolent action with civil resistance. Indeed, Swarthmore College’s Global Nonviolent Action Database has chronicled over a thousand of examples of nonviolent civil...
Video interview with Christian Picciolini on overcoming white supremacy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9-tkY-VFII
2018 Raven Award Winner: Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani for her novel“Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree”
Each year since 2010, the Raven Foundation has honored an artist whose work creatively represents some aspect of mimetic theory. This year we are honoring Nigerian writer Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani for her young adult novel Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree, in which a...
More resources
A Mimetic Invitation
René Girard’s world-changing discovery was deceptively simple: we desire according to the desire of another. This makes friendship, love, and empathy possible…but also results in conflict and violence.
watch the video
Am I Scapegoating?
Our 4-step guide to understanding scapegoating in real life, with practical solutions to undo the cycle of rivalry in your relationships.
Mimetic Insights Series
The Raven Foundation’s Mimetic Insights Series with Dr. Chris Haw provides insights into and explanations of mimetic theory and the writings of René Girard.
Watch the series