Naming Patriarchate – masculine symbolic landscape of Polish smaller cities Cover Image

Patriarchat nazewniczy – zmaskulinizowany krajobraz symboliczny polskich mniejszych miast
Naming Patriarchate – masculine symbolic landscape of Polish smaller cities

Author(s): Krzysztof Górny, Ada Górna, Jan SZCZEPAŃSKI, Aleksandra SIENICA
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Human Geography, Descriptive linguistics, Rural and urban sociology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: street naming; feminonym; masculinonym; gender equality; critical geography; geographies of social justice; Polish cities;

Summary/Abstract: The article addresses the topic of street names in 10 Polish small cities, examined from the perspective of critical geography, and geography of social justice in particular – two disciplines that have so far been underrepresented in Polish geography. The studied hodonyms were analysed in the context of gender disproportions in streets named after individuals. In all towns, the toponymic landscape is dominated by male names, whose advantage over female names is significant, which confirms the thesis about naming patriarchy in Polish cities. Arguments for the urgent need to introduce changes in the current toponymic landscape were also presented in the text, along with the proposal of two new terms referring to the geographical names commemorating women – feminonyms and men – masculinonyms.

  • Issue Year: 67/2022
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 25-44
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: Polish