2025/11/12 by Catherine Gibson · 1 voice
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration #Soviet and Russian History #Urbanization and City Planning
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/s0963926825100527
openalex publication_date 2025/11/12 · openalex created_date 2025/11/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/22
Abstract The 1893 Dorpat-to-Iur′ev (present-day Tartu) renaming law marks a key moment in the Romanov imperial government’s efforts to de-Germanize and Russify the Baltic provinces. This article brings legal perspectives to critical place-name studies by examining how the Romanov Empire used law to regulate and exert control over naming practices, and how local inhabitants leveraged their legal knowledge to spot ambiguities, exploit loopholes and defend naming rights in court, thereby engaging in various forms of toponymic resistance. By situating the 1893 renaming law within the broader imperial legal system, this article argues that even ideologically motivated changes to urban toponymy could be subject to legal checks and balances.