Recognition, Regulation, Revitalisation: Place Names and Indigenous Languages: Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Place Names 2019

Abstract

Recognition, Regulation, Revitalisation: Place Names and Indigenous Languages is a selection of double-blind peer-reviewed papers from the 5th International Symposium on Place Names that took place 18-20 September 2020 in Clarens, South Africa. The symposium celebrated 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages as declared by the United Nations. Some of the studies in this publication excavate lost or disappearing indigenous toponyms. Those researchers contribute in a very concrete way to the preservation of indigenous toponyms, and thereby also the associated cultural heritage. The other papers explore how place naming functions as a mechanism with which to create mental maps and exert socio-political power. These proceedings are the outcome of international collaboration between Southern African and international scholars. As such, it is a valuable resource to local as well as international scholars who are interested in the interdisciplinary field of toponomy.