The Mimetic Nature of Dream Mentation: American Selves in Re-formation

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Based on over a decade of research, this work connects dream studies with cognitive anthropology, humanities perspectives on mimesis, ambiguity, and metaphor, as well as contemporary dream research in psychology and recent economic and political insights. It delves into the dreamscapes of various young individuals, examining their interactions with American cultures and the identities formed through these experiences. Unlike traditional ethnographies that focus on shared social practices, this book emphasizes shared aspects of subjectivity and the ways individuals represent and conceptualize them in dreams. Each chapter is grounded in real cases, making it compelling for scholars across multiple disciplines. It illustrates how dreaming provides valuable insights into twenty-first-century debates and challenges within these fields, offering a vital, theoretically eclectic approach to dream studies. The structure includes sections on a mimetic theory of dreams, competing and complementary theories, and the relationship between mimesis and American identities, exploring themes such as family dynamics, cultural psychology, and the interplay between dreams, mimesis, and consciousness.