Acknowledgments
It was as a visiting PhD in Manchester that I encountered the mimetic theory of René Girard. I had by then worked with my dissertation on Serek ha-Yaḥad (1QS) for some years and immediately sensed that I wanted to investigate 1QS in light of mimetic theory. The immediate and obvious point of contact was the Yom Kippur-inspired confession in the ritualâwhere the community takes on the role of the scapegoatâas surrogate victimage and scapegoating are at the center of Girardâs thought. Although resulting in an appendix in my dissertation, it was only after finishing my PhD project that I had the possibility to engage fully with Girardâs work and pursue what I have found to be a fruitful encounter between mimetic theory and the Serek ha-Yaḥad from Qumran. This book is the result of this fortunate encounter. It has taken many years to complete, and many are those who have helped me along the way.
This book would not have been completed without the support of grants from Sven och Dagmar Saléns Stiftelse, Helge Ax:son Johnsons Stiftelse, Stiftelsen Fru Mary von Sydows, född Wijk, donationsfond, à ke Wibergs Stiftelse, and Stiftelsen San Michele. For this support I am most grateful.
Several people have aided and encouraged my work on this book. Among these are my colleagues at the department of Literature, History of Ideas and Religion at the University of Gothenburg: Daniel Andersson, Tobias Hägerland, Johanna Larsdal, Katarina Leppänen, Anna Nordenstam, Jennifer Nyström, Staffan Olofsson, Fredrik Portin, Arne Rasmusson, Cecilia Rosengren, Gunnar Samuelsson, Rosmari Lillas Shuil, Ola Sigurdson and Tobias à löw. I also wish to express my gratitude to George J. Brooke, Göran Eidevall, Charlotte Hempel, Bo Isaksson, Jutta Jokiranta, Liv Ingeborg Lied, Morton Narrow, Anders Olsson, Jan Retsö, Lennart Thörn, Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer, Cecilia Wassén, Mikael Winninge, and Hanne von Weissenberg for conversations and invaluable aid in developing the ideas in this book.
Friends in academia, Cecilia Annell, Anna Bohlin, Katarina BÃ¥th, Petra Carlsson Redell, and Sabina Koij, thank you for ongoing dialogues that in so many ways contribute to a book like this.
I dedicate this book to my son Lukas and thank him for being such a light and joy in my life. To my husband Luis Antonio, and my parents who always support me, thank you!