Mimesis and Alterity jargon

R. C. Alvarado (rca2t@FARADAY.CLAS.VIRGINIA.EDU)
Sat, 8 Oct 1994 01:47:21 -0400

Cliff Sloane has written:
>What's wrong with "mimicry"? Is there an advantage to "mimesis" that
>"mimicry" doesn't provide?
>Cliff

The advantage of the word "mimesis" is that it has a precise meaning and long,
long history in the human sciences. This isn't jargon, it's just using
the right word. "Mimicry" has no such pedigree, and makes the concept
sound as if the author had just realized its importance for
anthropology, as if ignorant of the vast body of literature on the
subject. "Imitation" would be better for the Hellenophobic.

--

Raf Alvarado

rca2t@Virginia.EDU