Jeff Russell

No worries, I did bring up that question in the same comment that I linked this post, so it seems fair to respond to it.

I didn't realize which academic field Girard claimed, and doing no ethnography does seem like a strike against a serious anthropologist, though sometimes comparative religion-types have a tough time finding an academic home. Regardless, yeah, fitting evidence to theory does sound quite likely if you have a grand theory of how all mythology works, so that reputation doesn't surprise me too much (though, I will note some amusement at arch-Marxist David Graeber criticizing others for giving evidence the theory-based Procrustean treatment!).

As for Girard and his theory, I have no particular attachment other than that I've seen his name come up and his theories spoken of as interesting and/or useful by folks who have been worth listening to in at least some contexts. In this case, Girard came up as I've been reading and thinking about how to think about the role of Christianity in the history of Western culture - how much of what has been good about Western culture does Christianity deserve credit for? How much was coincidental? How much of what has gone wrong should be laid at Christianity's feet? One of the tempting things (and also one of the dangerous things) about Girard's theory is that it offers an analytical/explanatory framework that purports to make sense of some of that complicated mess.

Anyhow, thanks very much for the effort to hop over here and share your thoughts and experience even after MM had closed!