Mimesis, or “Society Is Imitation”

Abstract

The heart of mimesis is a set of shared conventions rather than shared beliefs or shared memory. The repetition of mimesis gives it the character of something eternally present. This gives mimesis a much greater potential for openness than memory does. Unlike the past-continuous of memory, mimesis creates a kind of present-continuous. This chapter focuses on conflict around the reading of mimesis as memory or metaphor in different social contexts. These conflicts occur when frames clash, or when one powerful frame creates a double bind and puts people into an impossible situation. The chapter further explores the “imperialist” tendencies of mimesis to rewrite all other frames of meaning.