Nieświęte sacrum czy sakralizacja profanum? Istota i symbolika galerii handlowych w cywilizacji konsumpcyjnej

Abstract

The aim of this article is to show, on the example of shopping centres, the symbolic sphere of consumption, which is characterized by the more and more blurred borderline between the sacred and the profane. The article presents an analysis of shopping malls in a modern city space, in the context of consumptive civilization, in which large-surface shopping centres become one of the most significant venues of the public space. They not only attract people for practical reasons, but also, through shaping the taste of the customers and creating new behavioural patterns, they transform the symbolism and valuation of the city space and time. It is even argued that such places acquire sacred meaning, as the symbolism of gift, sacrifice and feast can be traced in them; the quasi-religious symbols and associations also function as elements of marketing. Regardless of the associated controversy, it may be claimed that modern shopping centres contribute to the creation of a new order.