Homo Mimeticus: Theory and Criticism

Project Information

HOM

Grant agreement ID: 716181

DOI

10.3030/716181

Project closed

EC signature date 7 October 2016

Start date 1 November 2016

End date 30 April 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 1 044 000,00

EU contribution

€ 1 044 000,00

Coordinated by

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
Belgium

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - HOM (Homo Mimeticus: Theory and Criticism)

Reporting period: 2020-09-01 to 2022-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The Homo Mimeticus (HOM) project reframes one of the most ancient and influential concepts of Western aesthetics (mimesis) in light of the contemporary confirmation that humans are, for better and worse, imitative creatures. While dominant translations in the humanities still tend to confine mimesis to aesthetic representation (realism), the HOM project relies on fields as diverse as literary theory, continental philosophy, political theory, and the neurosciences to face the broader challenge of mimetic behavior (mimetism) in view of addressing societal challenges we are encountering today: from emotional contagion in crowds to digital simulations online, media violence to the rise of (new) fascist movements. More specifically, this entails accounting for the theatrical dimension of subject formation via literary classics like Oscar Wilde who anticipated the performative turn in critical theory; establishing an innovative connection between mimesis and non-representational arts such as music; accounting for the role new digital technologies play in currently transforming human subjectivity by treating recent science-fiction films as non-realistic mirrors to reflect critically on emerging digital practices; and diagnosing the way political leaders with an authoritarian bent rely on the theatrical register of mimetic contagion that triggers emotions such as fear and resentment, which once are amplified by new media, are instrumental to come to power via anti-democratic, tyrannical or (new) fascist means.

Such case studies make clear that understanding the powers of imitation (mimesis) in the digital age is crucial to coming to grips with some of the major challenges of the twenty-first century such as the digital revolution and the rise far-right movements. In fact, if growing evidence from the neurosciences (mirror neurons, brain plasticity) shows that humans have an involuntary tendency to mimic dominant models, be they good or bad, real or fictional, then much more critical attention should be devoted in the humanities to understanding not only how humans represent the world (mimetic realism) but also how the world is currently forming and transforming humans (mimetic behavior). The HOM project's main objective is to contribute to this paradigm shift on discourses of imitation by engaging in scholarly and public debates that address fields as diverse as literary theory, continental philosophy, musicology, film studies, and political theory in terms that are relevant for both academic and non-academic audiences. It also provides a new theory of imitation to face some of the main challenges homo mimeticus will have to face in the 21st Century.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Outputs available in print up to this mid-term report include over 40 book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journal (MLN, Esprit Createur, Symploke, Contagion, Partial Answers, College Literature, Theory & Event, Political Research Quarterly, et al.), four journal special issues (Conradiana 2016, MLN 2017, CounterText 2022, Journal of Posthumanism 2022), two translations of monographs (Mimesis ed. 2018, 2020). Other publications, including 4 monographs, one in print, (MSU P 2019), two forthcoming (MSU P, Leuven UP).

Concerning dissemination, a HOM Seminar was set in place in the autumn of 2017 to facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations between Arts and philosophy (https://hiw.kuleuven.be/hua/events/hom-seminar). HOM also set up a website (http://www.homomimeticus.eu/) opened Twitter and Facebook accounts, engaged in a number of interviews with newspapers and radio, and started a series of video-interview titled HOM Videos (http://www.homomimeticus.eu/hom-videos/) which engages major international figures in critical theory, philosophy, political theory, social sciences among other fields. Over 40 videos are now on-line (YouTube) reaching over 22'000 views; other videos are still forthcoming. Total number of publications at the end of the action 51 (many are still forthcoming, including 4 monographs).

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

I am happy to report that the HOM team, which includes the PI, a PhD student, a postdoc, and 5 affiliated members (non-ERC funded), went well beyond the expected results. Among the publications mentioned above, I highlight the publication of special issues of prestigious international journals (MLN, Conradiana, CounterText, Journal of Posthumanism) edited by the PI, the translation of two monographs that testify to the transnational interest in mimesis (Mimesis ed. 2018, 2019; others forthcoming), the publication of a monograph titled (New) Fascism on a topic that is attracting attention both in Europe and the US (MSU P 2019), four forthcoming book publications (OUP, 2x MSU P, Leuven UP), and the release of HOM Videos on the HOM project YouTube channel, which is currently contributing to the dissemination to a wider audience.

In sum, thanks to its transdiciplinary reach and international collaboration HOM set the foundations for a new theory of mimesis that provides a paradigm shift in our understanding of what it means to be human in the 21st Century. Far from being autonomous, fully rational, independent creatures qua Homo Sapiens alone, we are also vulnerable, relational, embodied and depended creatures qua homo mimeticus. Acknowledging this paradigm shift will be central to facing future challenges to come.

Conradiana Special Issue: Conradian CrossCurrents

MLN special Issue: Poetics and Politics with Lacoue-Labarthe (ed. Nidesh Lawtoo)

Nidesh Lawtoo, (New)Fascism: Conragion, Comunity, Myth