Problematizing urban microtoponyms

Abstract

A spatial perspective on microtoponyms, informal non-standardized names of small objects and places known to the locals, is an often-neglected segment of urban political toponymic theory and practice. Though critically-oriented thinkers have acknowledged the role of vernacular place names in the spatial organization of symbolic cultural landscapes, place-making processes, and the everyday life of people and their communities, conceptual spatial-political theorizations on this subject have been relatively rare. Driven upon the critical toponymic theory, this paper aims to delineate a conceptual framework for studying urban microtoponyms as spatial phenomena by integrating the toponymic plurality notion. Based on examples primarily from non-Western geographical contexts, this paper offers a fresh perspective on urban place naming practices and related spatial processes providing some analytical pathways for critical scholars in urban toponymy and guiding potential empirical investigations in this field.