The Shopping Mall As Sacred Space Analysis

It is believed that humans naturally gravitate toward centers and circles for many reasons. Ancient civilizations paid close attention to the centers of religious architecture such as Christian cathedrals, Jewish temples, and Buddhist stupas. Further examples include the thousand-petaled Lotus of Buddhism and the Tibetan Mandala. Human’s attraction to centers have not strayed far from our ancestors. It is no surprise that those tendencies followed mankind into the 20th century as ideas for the mall developed. Ira G. Zepp, author of “The Shopping Mall as Sacred Space” was a professor of religious studies at McDaniel College. Zepp viewed teaching as a religious experience, and many of his writings reflect that belief. In his article he argues that malls, based on their design and purpose, can be used as a spiritual space. Zepp begins his article by introducing the importance and nature of the center, then goes on to explain how the center can be a source of power. Lastly, he ends the article with explaining how the center can be a sign of order. Zepp states that the mall is a substitute for sacred places by proclaiming that if our main institutions fail us, humans will find other places to fulfill basic human needs. Therefore, mall’s replicate the architectural structure of these ancient centers. His claim is true in the fact that
Zepp proposes that “the geometric designs in the mall tell a story about how we ultimately understand the world to be; they are a replication of a larger planet.” He provides evidence to support this claim by pulling from the words of a famous Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung, who calls the circle an “original image found in the collective unconscious of humankind” (Zepp 288). Even though Zepp has a source he pulls this assumption from, he ultimately generalizes what humans understand. Therefore, he deems every mall to be a mirror of what humans believe the world to