2014/02/12 by Chris W. Post, Derek H. Alderman · 1 citation
Psychology · Social Sciences · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration #Geographies of human-animal interactions #Archaeological Research and Protection #Toponymy #Symbol (formal) #Politics #Demonstrative #Capital (architecture) #Sociology #Economy #Political economy #History #Law #Linguistics #Political science #Philosophy #Economics #Archaeology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/area.12075
openalex publication_date 2014/02/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/24
Within critical place name studies, the perspectives of ‘toponym‐as‐commodity’ and ‘toponym‐as‐nationalistic symbol’ have tended to be studied separately, but they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Using a case study of toponymic change from First World War USA , specifically the renaming of N ew B erlin, O hio, to N orth C anton, we illustrate that this effort to de‐ G ermanise the landscape cannot be adequately understood without considering how seemingly nationalistically‐driven toponymic changes took place within, and facilitated, local industrial and commercial momentum. While the toponymic literature has tended to emphasise the role of government elites in controlling and contesting place names, our O hio case demonstrates the powerful role of a corporation, namely the WH Hoover and Hoover Suction Sweeper companies, in shaping place naming debates and changes. We interpret the N ew B erlin name change via three themes: symbolic capital and place re‐branding, symbolic annihilation and fetishisation, and the toponymic rescaling of economic linkages.