Jonathan Z. Smith's Theory of Ritual Space

Jonathan Z. Smith's theory of ritual is influential in the field of religious studies. The theory is essentially spatial, rendering place determinative of sacrality and emphasising the incongruity between ritualised and nonritualised domains. I offer a critique of Smith's theory, showing how an extreme emphasis on place and placement distorts our view of ritual. Although I call attention to the ‘actional’ dimension, I argue for a theory of ritual that emphasises its multidimensionality.