René Girard

French historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science
Person human Q129228
René Girard
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René Girard

Summary

René Girard is a human[1]. His place of birth was Avignon[2]. He was born on December 25, 1923[3]. He passed away in Stanford[4]. He died on November 4, 2015[5]. He worked as a philosopher[6], historian[7], anthropologist[8], university teacher[9], and literary critic[10]. He ranks in the top 0.62% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (4,512 views/month, #6,165 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • René Girard was born in Avignon[2].
  • René Girard died in Stanford[4].
  • René Girard was born on December 25, 1923[3].
  • René Girard died on November 4, 2015[5].
  • René Girard's father was Joseph Girard[12].
  • René Girard held citizenship in France[13].
  • René Girard held citizenship in United States[14].
  • René Girard worked as a philosopher[6].
  • René Girard's professions included historian[7].
  • René Girard worked as an anthropologist[8].
  • René Girard's professions included university teacher[9].
  • René Girard worked as a literary critic[10].
  • René Girard's field of work was history[15].
  • René Girard's field of work was anthropology[16].
  • René Girard's field of work was literary criticism[17].
  • René Girard held the position of seat 37 of the Académie française[18].
  • Among René Girard's employers was Johns Hopkins University[19].
  • Among René Girard's employers was University at Buffalo[20].
  • René Girard was employed by Bryn Mawr College[21].
  • Among René Girard's employers was Stanford University[22].
  • Among René Girard's employers was Duke University[23].
  • Among René Girard's employers was Indiana University[24].
  • René Girard's education included a stint at École des chartes[25].
  • René Girard was educated at Indiana University Bloomington[26].
  • A notable work attributed to René Girard is Q3306051[27].

Body

Origins and Family

René Girard's place of birth was Avignon[2]. He was born on December 25, 1923[3]. His father was Joseph Girard[12].

Education

Educated at École des chartes[25], a grande école[28], in France[29], founded in 1821[30], headquartered in Paris[31] and Indiana University Bloomington[26], a public research university[32], in United States[33], founded in 1820[34], headquartered in Bloomington[35].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include philosopher[6], historian[7], anthropologist[8], university teacher[9], and literary critic[10]. Fields of work include history[15]; anthropology[16], an academic discipline[36]; and literary criticism[17], a literary genre[37]. Employers include Johns Hopkins University[19], a private university[38], in United States[39], founded in 1876[40], headquartered in Baltimore[41]; University at Buffalo[20], a public research university[42], in United States[43], founded in 1846[44], headquartered in Amherst[45]; Bryn Mawr College[21], a university[46], in United States[47], founded in 1885[48], headquartered in Bryn Mawr[49]; Stanford University[22], a private university[50], in United States[51], founded in 1885[52], headquartered in Stanford[53]; Duke University[23], a university[54], in United States[55], founded in 1838[56], headquartered in Durham[57]; and Indiana University[24], a state university system[58], in United States[59], founded in 1820[60], headquartered in Bloomington[61]. René Girard held the position of seat 37 of the Académie française[18].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Q3306051[27] and Violence and the Sacred[62].

Recognition

Awards received include Knight of the Legion of Honour[63], a grade of an order[64], in France[65]; Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎[66], a grade of an order[67], in France[68]; Guggenheim Fellowship[69], a fellowship grant[70], in United States[71], founded in 1925[72]; doctor honoris causa of the University of Innsbruck[73], an award[74], in Austria[75]; honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal[76]; and honorary doctor of the University of Padua[77].

Personal Life

René Girard's religion is recorded as Catholicism[78].

Death and Burial

René Girard died on November 4, 2015[5]. He passed away in Stanford[4]. The cause of death was disease[79].

Why It Matters

René Girard ranks in the top 0.62% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (4,512 views/month, #6,165 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 22 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[80] He is known by 11 alternative names across languages and contexts.[81]

He has been cited as an influence by Peter Thiel[82], a financier[83], b. 1967[84], of New Zealand[85], specialised in investment[86]; Olavo de Carvalho[87], an essayist[88], 1947–2022[89], of Brazil[90], awarded the Santos-Dumont Merit Medal[91], specialised in epistemology[92]; and Jean-Pierre Dupuy[93], a philosopher[94], b. 1941[95], of France[96], awarded the Roger Caillois Prix[97], specialised in epistemology[98].

Works attributed to him include Violence and the Sacred[99], a literary work[100].

FAQs

Where was René Girard born?

René Girard was born in Avignon[2].

Where did René Girard die?

René Girard passed away in Stanford[4].

Who were René Girard's parents?

René Girard's father was Joseph Girard[12].

What did René Girard do for work?

René Girard worked as philosopher[6], historian[7], anthropologist[8], university teacher[9], and literary critic[10].

Where did René Girard go to school?

René Girard was educated at École des chartes[25] and Indiana University Bloomington[26].

What awards did René Girard receive?

Honors received include Knight of the Legion of Honour[63], Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎[66], Guggenheim Fellowship[69], and doctor honoris causa of the University of Innsbruck[73].

Who did René Girard influence?

René Girard has been cited as an influence by Peter Thiel[82], Olavo de Carvalho[87], and Jean-Pierre Dupuy[93].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . Bibliothèque nationale de France. wikidata.org.
  3. [12] . Munzinger-Archiv. wikidata.org.
  4. [13] . Bibliothèque nationale de France. wikidata.org.
  5. [14] . wikidata.org.
  6. [18] . wikidata.org.
  7. [25] . Munzinger-Archiv. wikidata.org.
  8. [26] . Munzinger-Archiv. wikidata.org.
  9. [15] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  10. [16] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [17] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  12. [6] . wikidata.org.
  13. [7] . wikidata.org.
  14. [8] . wikidata.org.
  15. [9] . wikidata.org.
  16. [10] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  17. [19] . Munzinger-Archiv. wikidata.org.
  18. [20] . wikidata.org.
  19. [21] . Munzinger-Archiv. wikidata.org.
  20. [22] . wikidata.org.
  21. [23] . wikidata.org.
  22. [24] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  23. [78] . wikidata.org.
  24. [63] . Who's Who in France. wikidata.org.
  25. [66] . wikidata.org.
  26. [69] . wikidata.org.
  27. [73] . wikidata.org.
  28. [76] . wikidata.org.
  29. [77] . wikidata.org.
  30. [79] . wikidata.org.
  31. [3] . SNAC. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  32. [5] . Bibliothèque nationale de France. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  33. [27] . wikidata.org.
  34. [62] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [82] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [87] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [93] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [99] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  33. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [67] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  49. [89] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  57. [98] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  58. [100] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [80] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [81] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). René Girard. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/rene-girard
MLA “René Girard.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/rene-girard.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_rene-girard_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{René Girard}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/rene-girard}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): René Girard — https://4ort.xyz/entity/rene-girard (retrieved 2026-04-10)

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 14d ago · Symac · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation philosopher, historian, anthropologist +2
    Award received Knight of the Legion of Honour, Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎, Guggenheim Fellowship +8
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P166]]: [[Q2330764]], Prix Aujourd'hui ([[:toollabs:editgroups/b/OR/8cecb096a8e|details]])"
  2. 27d ago · Bargioni · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30465|batch #30465]]: add P1810 to P5739 1/3"
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