Critical toponomy Place names in political, historical and commercial landscape

• Other Authors: Beyer, Herman (Editor), Raper, Peter (Editor), Brenzinger, Matthias (Editor), du Plessis, Theodorus (Editor)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Bloemfontein UJ Press 2019
• Subjects: Sociolinguistics; Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography; Austria; Central America; Namibia; Place names; Slovenia; South Africa; Zimbabwe; political; historical and commercial landscapes; socio-political changes; place names; political aspects; territory; Czechoslovakia; Georg Schuppener; Geographical names standardisation; name-planning; Theodorus du Plessis; cultural domination; toponym; Steyn Khesani Madlome; missionary societies; Cornelia Geldenhuys; Herero place names; Lucie A. Möller; unravelling; etymology; selected toponyms; Godwin Makaudze; cultural heritage; Bushmanland; Jani de Lange; commercial place-name; Peter Jordan; Slovenian choronyms in brand names; Matjaž Geršič; Drago Kladnik; Katja Vintar Mally; place-related identities; linguistic landscape; rural South Africa; Chrismi-Rinda Loth; Kathryn M. Hudson; dialectics and politics of football as revealed in the names and nicknames of three selected Zimbabwe stadiums; Liketso Dube; NoViolet Bulawayo's We Need New Names; Lawrence Hoba; First Trek; Pioneers; Elda Hungwe
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

Critical Toponymy: Place names in political, historical and commercial landscapes contains a selection of double-blind peer-reviewed papers from the 4th International Symposium on Place Names that took place 18-20 September 2017 in Windhoek, Namibia. These papers present current thinking on how the critical turn in social sciences is manifested in toponymic research, not only locally but also internationally. As such it includes research on place names from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Austria, Slovenia, Central America and even the former Czechoslovakia. The contributions show that the etymology of place names are never purely linguistic - social, political, commercial and other factors influence the giving, use and adaptations of these linguistic and cultural artefacts. Furthermore, given their high symbolic content, place names also serve as political and commercial currency. Place names are therefore important symbolic markers in preserving or changing cultural identities, and in marking or facilitating socio-political changes and relations. Critical Toponymy showcases the many ways in which the representational potential of place names can be deployed in different contexts. Scholars as well as practitioners in toponymy and sociolinguistics will find this an illuminating read.