Eric Gans

Gans invented a new science of human culture and origins he calls Generative Anthropology , based on the idea that the origin of language was a singular event and that the history of human culture is a genetic or "generative" development of that event. In a series of books and articles beginning with /The Origin of Language: A Formal Theory of Representation/ (1981) Gans has developed his ideas about human culture, language, and origins. Eric Gans From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Eric Lawrence Gans Born August 21, 1941 (age 71) Occupation Professor of French Literature, Literary Critic, theorist, Subjects Generative Anthropology, Philosophy of Language, French Literatu re, Film Eric Lawrence Gans (born August 21, 1941) is an American literary scholar, philo sopher of language, and cultural anthropologist. Since 1969, he has taught 19th century literature, critical theory, and film in the UCLA Department of French a nd Francophone studies. Gans invented a new science of human culture and origins he calls Generative Ant hropology, based on the idea that the origin of language was a singular event an d that the history of human culture is a genetic or "generative" development of that event. In a series of books and articles beginning with The Origin of Langu age: A Formal Theory of Representation (1981) Gans has developed his ideas about human culture, language, and origins. In 1995, Gans founded (and continues to e dit) the web-based journal Anthropoetics: The Journal of Generative Anthropology as a scholarly forum for research into human culture and origins based on Gener ative Anthropology and the closely related Fundamental Anthropology of Ren? Gira rd. Since 1995, Gans has web-published his Chronicles of Love and Resentment, co nsisting of reflections on everything from popular culture, film, post-modernism , economics, contemporary politics, the Holocaust, philosophy, religion, and pal eoanthropology. 424 Chronicles have appeared as of June 2012. Contents 1 Generative Anthropology 1.1 Background 1.2 The Originary Hypothesis 1.3 The Scene of Representation 2 Life and Education 3 Critics 4 Generative Anthropology Society & Conference 5 Honors 6 Bibliography 6.1 Books 6.2 Selected Articles 7 External links Generative Anthropology Background Generative Anthropology grew out of Gans' association with Ren? Girard at Johns Hopkins University. Gans was Girard s first doctoral student, receiving his PhD in 1966. But it was only on the publication of "La violence et le sacr?" in 1972 t hat Gans became interested in Girard's idea of mimetic desire and the connection

between violence and the sacred in Girard's work. The concept of mimetic desire forms one of the cornerstones of Generative Anthropology. Girard argues that hu man desire is essentially cultural or social in nature, and thus distinct from m ere appetite, which is biological. For Girard, desire is triangular in structure , an imitation of the desire of another. Desire, therefore, leads to conflict, w hen two individuals attempt to possess the same object. In a group, this mimetic conflict typically escalates into a mimetic crisis which threatens the very exi stence of the group. For Girard, this conflict is resolved by the scapegoat mech anism, in which the destructive energies of the group are purged through the vio lence directed towards an arbitrarily selected victim. Girard sees the scapegoat ing mechanism as the origin of human culture and language. The Originary Hypothesis Gans agrees with Girard that human language originates in the context of a mimet ic crisis, but he does not find the scapegoat mechanism, by itself, as an adequa te explanation for the origin of language. Gans hypothesizes that language origi nates in "an aborted gesture of appropriation," which signifies the desired obje ct as sacred and which memorializes the birth of language, serving as the basis for rituals which recreate the originary event symbolically. For a more detailed explanation of the originary hypothesis, see Generative Anthropology. The Scene of Representation For Gans, language is essentially "scenic" in character, that is, structurally d efined by a sacred center and human periphery. In the secular culture which deve lops later, "significance" serves as an attenuated form of the sacred. The scene of representation is a true cultural universal and the basic model for cultural analysis. Generative Anthropology attempts to understand the various means by w hich transcendence or meaning (which is always ethically functional) is created on a scene of representation. Life and Education Eric Lawrence Gans was born in Bronx, New York on August 21, 1941. He received a B.A. in French (Summa cum laude) from Columbia College in 1960. Going on to gra duate work in Romance languages at Johns Hopkins University, he received his M.A . in 1961 and a Ph.D in 1966. After two years as an Assistant Professor at India na University, he went on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 19 69. In 1978, he served at Johns Hopkins University as a visiting Professor. He c ontinues his teaching, research, and writing today as a Professor of French at U CLA. Critics The main source of criticism directed against Gans' work comes from Ren? Girard himself, who claims that Generative Anthropology is just another version of soci al contract theories of origins. Others take issue with Gans' conservative polit ical views as expressed in his Chronicles of Love and Resentment. Gans has enter ed into constructive conversation with contrasting views on Middle Eastern polit ics in his published dialogue with Ammar Abdulhamid: "A Dialogue on the Middle E ast and Other Subjects." Generative Anthropology Society & Conference The Generative Anthropology Society & Conference (GASC) is a scholarly associati on formed for the purpose of facilitating intellectual exchange amongst those in terested in fundamental reflection on the human, originary thinking, and generat ive anthropology, including support for regular conferences. GASC was formally o rganized on June 24, 2010 at Westminster College, Salt Lake City during the 4th Annual Generative Anthropology Summer Conference. Further information, including how to join, can be found at the Generative Anthropology Society & Conference W ebsite Since 2007, Generative Anthropology Society & Conference (GASC) has held an annu

al summer conference on Generative Anthropology. 2007 - Vancouver (Kwantlen University College, U of British Columbia) 2008 - Orange, CA (Chapman University) 2009 - Ottawa, Ontario (University of Ottawa) 2010 - Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah (Westminster College, Salt Lake City and B righam Young University) 2011 - High Point, NC (High Point University) 2012 - Tokyo, Japan, International Christian University 2013 - Los Angeles, CA (UCLA) Honors Phi Beta Kappa (elected in junior year) Woodrow Wilson fellow 1960-61 Prix de la langue fran?aise - Acad?mie fran?aise 1977 Chevalier des Palmes Acad?miques 1982 Bibliography Books The Discovery of Illusion: Flaubert's Early Works, 1835-37. University of Ca lifornia Press, 1971. The Origin of Language: A Formal Theory of Representation. University of Cal ifornia Press, 1981. The End of Culture: Toward a Generative Anthropology. University of Californ ia Press, 1985. Madame Bovary: The End of Romance. Boston: G. K. Hall (Twayne's Masterwork S tudies), 1989. Science and Faith: The Anthropology of Revelation. Savage, Md.: Rowman & Lit tlefield, 1990. Originary Thinking: Elements of Generative Anthropology. Stanford University Press, 1993. Signs of Paradox: Irony, Resentment, and Other Mimetic Structures. Stanford University Press, 1997. The Scenic Imagination: Originary Thinking from Hobbes to the Present Day. S tanford University Press, 2007. Carole Landis: A Most Beautiful Girl. University of Mississippi Press, 2008. A New Way of Thinking: Generative Anthropology in Religion, Philosophy, Art. The Davies Group, 2011. The Girardian Origins of Generative Anthropology. Imitatio/Amazon Digital Se rvices, 2012.