Masks, Morons, and Monsters

In 1982, as the disability rights movement was beginning to gain academic attention,1 René Girard was already making disability a central feature of his theory of scapegoating. In Le Bouc Émissaire (The Scapegoat), Girard consistently mentions disability when he lists common targets of persecution. He describes it as one of the signs of victims, explaining that victims are often chosen “because they belong to a class that is particularly susceptible to persecution”; this includes cultural, religious, or ethnic minorities, and those who are sick, experiencing mental health issues, or who show any kind of disability.2 In I See Satan Fall Like Lightning, he clarifies this further in his discussion of the features seen in all victims chosen for sacrificial rituals, “the homeless, those without family, the disabled and ill, abandoned old people,” and in the list of those persecuted by medieval mobs, “lepers, Jews, foreigners, women, those who are disabled, marginal persons of every sort.”3Notwithstanding Girard's precedent-setting focus on disability as a key element of scapegoating, neither scholars of disability nor scholars of mimetic theory have systematically addressed this centrality of disability to the phenomenon of scapegoating. Specifically in the field of disability, Girard's thought has not been significantly used even though there are many connections with mimetic theory both in the study of stigma, a precursor of disability theory, and in disability theory itself. Although Girard does not use the word “stigma” in connection with his signs of victims, his description of the process of persecution bears resemblances to dynamics observed in stigma theory. In this article, I take inspiration for discussing mimetic theory in the context of stigma and disability studies from Girardian scholar Scott Garrels, who has challenged the social and human sciences to investigate “the role that reciprocal mimesis has in generating acts of social rivalry, conflict, and ultimately violence.”4In turn, Girardian scholars’ inattention to disability may be part of a larger neglect on the part of mimetic theorists: Garrels notes that there have been few connections made between the social and human sciences and the wider social and historical applications of mimetic theory.5 Noting the growth of interest in the role of imitation in human development that has fueled important advances in the fields of developmental and comparative psychology, neurophysiology, cognitive neuroscience, and social psychology, Garrels calls for mimetic theorists to attend more closely to this research.6 As I share insights from disability studies with mimetic scholars, I contribute to Garrel's call for enhanced communication between Girardian theorists and scholars engaged in social science research.In support of the goal of bringing disability studies and mimetic theory into conversation, in this article I investigate mimetic elements in stigma theory and in the study of disability, particularly intellectual disability. I first explore mimetic elements in the foundational work on stigma done by Erving Goffman in the 1960s, and then in Lerita Coleman Brown's development of stigma theory. Coleman Brown's work especially suggests mimetic connections since she looks for the social causes and processes of stigma, identifying social control, stereotyping, and fear as main components. I suggest that some connections with mimetic theory are found in the social structure of scapegoating; stereotyping and Girard's mask of the victim; and the relation between mimetic desire and the fear of stigma. After discussing some mimetic aspects of social control, stereotyping, and fear of stigma in general terms, I use as of in to a mimetic first of disability theory in and then of intellectual disability in In I contribute to enhanced of the and of Girard's insights on disability for the field of disability studies and for mimetic foundational of stigma theory is Erving on the of work with mimetic theory in some of I elements in the structure of stigma by Goffman that some foundational elements of mimetic are with human both the desire to that a is even though it is one that is or and both elements of on social stigma theory and mimetic theory are both with a social to human that the of is Goffman stigma as a of that are from and or of any is and Girard that human is not in as that is not a of scapegoating. 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As I already in the role of desire in social of stigma, it is not in a that it be it is a or stigma is not or in it is the of a that are and is not by the that is by social that from one to Girard's that in is not the of that there is a to the of a Girard that the of a may be or a may be chosen they are part of a In the of the the of and the for a the to on a as to may a and any in any the persecution may be more when victims are chosen from a social of is to and in this element of as Girard the ethnic or may be in one and in the are in the In both and of the of is not to the or is in one by the and in the more by dynamics of social with that stigma is not the of or class is a between and human of that he for that be does not social causes and to Lerita Coleman notes this that by the been done to the phenomenon of stigma, been done to investigate and stigma In the I she as the stigma and the by it and connections between and mimetic theory. 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In I use as a for mimetic aspects of disability theory, especially on intellectual to for connections between of social in mimetic theory and in the field of disability, I first the of social in some disability and it to the social aspects of mimetic theory. 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growth of a class of as by a in with for of in this use of the a to and of intellectual disability to a that has the of those in intellectual disability both of and and a of the of process is a of a in to the of who is as and that have been on with intellectual Girard's mask of the of since the in of the disabled, that stereotyping in the that he has observed this in his field of social in the In the has the of to and a to are of and are as or as the that are of a by and of the of of that the of this it a and that it does not to a and of the process of for that this process is it is for is He that there are the of that with the process of a and the and the of the and be from He notes that there has been a connection between and of mental and that as a in the of with intellectual that there is a to the of as He that are to of and he that of and of are that the in closely the as as the of to in to suggests that mimetic and are in this the of some mimetic elements in stereotyping of intellectual disability, I to a kind of stereotyping that in the of some human disability often in when disabled with in for have the of and with intellectual disability to a and are who use the of intellectual disability in for the of to human to by of to the human this for is in his to or and the cognitive of the disabled to that of he be to one and not the the for human and a more on as of to to and He the of on on this he many more of in of human with intellectual In the of to the of or a human he that a human be more and he the of to with cognitive in his of is with used to the of human or He that be a for that some be as of the of a on the of the in to to cognitive and to it is a more to some of and persons with intellectual disability, and those with He that the of to with intellectual be to the of to the of human in in the of the disabled when a is by that as human persons be to in the they have a who be they as a as a be a more a with mental and have the on the human of with 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disability that disability a by of to as that there is a in intellectual disability, a that the and of a of human to the of is in the of some that suggests that there is on As of this I who that any has to it be to disabled as he it with and they not be in of a to is intellectual disabled with the a to He that he by this to his the the of and with intellectual be from and to explore the mimetic aspects of this I the thought of on the of though disability the of the and may be in in with intellectual are not of the of even though are that with intellectual are they though this may be that the of there be and that that is on and a that it is to with Girard in of scapegoating, and he that the of the has that of the on a to the of is more of dynamics and to any scapegoating, the of the a more that the persecution of the the of is thought to have to from has into and social in the of social and and the of is in are that they a of a human element of a with a is of the of is that human are a of and have that are I with intellectual for some both a from the and a kind of notes that in the of as or of a and they often as in of of as human in or even the in a when there is a of human the of the human in the that share with is then both by and by human I that with intellectual are targets in both are in of as a of human and and of are in of human and with and and are in Girard's of the of the of that the of is the into and a in the of the In Girard's of the from the of have been from a and they call on to the to a and to first the the as the to the to and is into a with to a a As the he to into a and the in to of a and human in of with calls the of the that the to human in with intellectual and with of the of the of the to that in the of the as they a and show a of and the as human persons of with intellectual a of or in human not a of this a fear of with intellectual that is since it for the of human stereotyping and of fear of with intellectual not for any be mimetic with disabled is in of fear and of with intellectual of the that are the with intellectual as to on a it is not as persecution. the is to be a is seen as As Girard and are in that the persecution of the of with intellectual has to In the that they and to and not in the the in as as the in in and all human Although with cognitive have more in the for this be seen in that be the to have with intellectual has that the fields of disability studies and mimetic theory in on connections I to communication and between mimetic theorists and scholars of disability of in studies from of wider support and for in as as for further mimetic theory, the between Girard's mask of the and the phenomenon of stereotyping is one as as the common of stigma and mimesis to the of a on one as the of desire or between mimetic desire and the fear of stigma more of the as a the of contribute to on disability mimetic theory in social Although the of disability as has already been used as a for a mimetic on disability as a of social reciprocal of the social and the processes that Specifically in the field of intellectual disability, of stereotyping and fear in mimetic for and of and the with intellectual that of

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