Historical geographies of place naming: Colonial practices and beyond

Abstract

European colonialism sought to inscribe order and meaning on non-European landscapes through the process of place naming. Naming or renaming was fundamental to the extension of imperial control over physical and human environments. This article offers a brief overview of the ways critical place name studies has addressed these colonial practices. In particular, the paper examines the power relationships inherent in place naming, asks questions about authority and authenticity in place naming, highlights the importance of sound in the performance of place names, and explores decolonial mapping practices as an opportunity to challenge neocolonial cartographies. I suggest that critical place name studies has been insufficiently attentive to orthography and that addressing the spelling of place names more directly offers important ways to understand how power and authority intersected with authenticity and reproducibility in colonial naming practices. I conclude by identifying the potential benefits to geographers of prioritising decolonial research by collaborating with indigenous peoples and incorporating indigenous practices within research.