ABSTRACT
In this contribution, it is argued that in spite of abuses in evolutionary theories of religion under imperial and colonial conditions, comparison after the material turn remains a crucial strategy in the academic study of religion. It demonstrates not only that the definition of categories and subcategories for the analysis of material mediations of religion depends on comparison, but also that the comparison of pertinent case studies of such mediations needs to be done in a disciplined and systematic historically contextualized way in order to yield innovative insights on a particular category in its intersection with other categories. The imperative to employ critical theories with their assumed normative frameworks to expose the dynamics of unequal power relations within changing political-economic contexts, instead of offering only snapshot, essentializing phenomenological descriptions and identifying recurrent patterns, is illustrated by comparing phenomenological and critical approaches in analyzing the Voortrekker Monument and Freedom Park in South Africa as examples of contested sacred places. The essay engages particularly the theories and applications of Jonathan Z. Smith, David Chidester, Brent Plate, and Gerardus van der Leeuw to develop its argument.
