From Center to Periphery and Vice Versa: The Politics of Toponyms in the Transitional Capital
From Center to Periphery and Vice Versa: The Politics of Toponyms in the Transitional Capital

Summary/Abstract: This paper discusses the politics of street names in Belgrade since the beginning of 1990s until today. Given the central place of the capital city in the symbolic geography of the nation, subsequent cultural influences of the capitals’ "city text" overcomes its actual scale. The past fifteen years of the "toponymical transition" are characterized by several phases and specifics in commemoration and de-commemoration of various public symbols, both in the contents and means of such identity re-construction. Being mostly consistent, the de-commemoration of themes and persons connected with the related historical period and ideology is usually achieved through revision (without restitution) of street names, and also through identity politics which initiate a politically opportune transfer of toponyms in the symbolic center-periphery relation of the city (and national) text.

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