Dr. Andrew J. McKenna
Professor, French Language and Literature
amckenn@luc.edu
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- René Girard's Mimetic Theory in all its implications and applications in the Human Sciences
- Eric Gans's Generative Anthropology as a decisively important dimension of Mimetic Theory
- Art history and criticism: French, European, American
Selected Recent Publications
- "Art and Incarnation: Oscillating Views," Anthropoetics 15, no. 2 (Spring 2010) , http://www.anthropoetics.ucla.edu/ap1502/1502McKenna.htm
- « Bernanos : Polemicist and Prophet of our World », Logos : A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture 12:2: 62-79 (Spring 2009)
- "Mimésis et réciprocité: Montesquieu romancier," in Jean-Pierre Dupuy, ed., Dans L’oeil du cyclone : Colloque de Cerisy (Paris : Carnets nord, 2008), 227-246.
- “Philanthropologie : La Loi du plus faible,” Cahiers de l’Herne: 223-228 (Fall 2008)
- "Fellini's Crowds and the Remains of Religion," Contagion: Journal of Mimesis, Violence, and Culture, vols. 12-13: 159-182 (2007)
- "Girard, Rorty, and the Novel," Renascence LV:4: 293-314 (Summer 2003)
- "Scandal, Resentment, Idolatry: The Underground Psychology of Terrorism," Anthropoetics 8:1 (Spring 2002, Internet: 26 pp.)
- "Shakespeare: teoria e pratica," Studi perugini 5:10:123-146 (Spring 2002)
- "La Mimésis dans l'Education," In La Spirale mimétique: Dix-huit leçons sur René Girard. Maria Stella Barberi ed. Paris: Desclée de Brouwer, 2001 (pp. 189-206)
Education
- B.A. French, Holy Cross College, 1964
- Ph.D. Romance Languages [French & Spanish], Johns Hopkins University, 1970
Courses Regularly Taught
- French Literature of 17th, 19th, 20th centuries
- Stylistics
- French culture and civilization
- Masterpieces of European Literature and Comparative Literature (in translation)
Other Activities
- Editor-in-Chief of Contagion: Journal of Violence, Mimesis, and Culture, 1996-2006
- Host of French Club Activities
Web Links
- [1] http://www.imitatio.org/ This is an authoritative site on Girard's work and the research it has inspired across the human sciences and in neuroscience as well.
- [2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/news/accents.shtml Access to live French TV and radio broadcasts, some with texts to read while listening.
- [3] Anthropoetics: The Electronic Journal of Generative Anthropology
http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/anthropoetics/home.html: This is one of the best social science/humanities research forums available, including chronicles on contemporary events from the perspective of a single, coherent theory. - [4] http://theol.uibk.ac.at/cover/: This is the research hub for works about the theory of René Girard, one of France's -- and the world's -- most important thinkers.
- [5] The Raven Foundation http://www.ravenfoundation.org/: The best place to start for understanding the value and interest of mimetic theory for the public at large.