Place names are more than just labels on a map. They influence how people learn about the world around them and perceive their place in it.
Names can send messages and suggest what is and isn’t valued in society. And the way that they are changed over time can signal cultural shifts.
The United States is in the midst of a place-renaming moment. From the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America to the return of Forts Bragg and Benning and the newly re-renamed Mount McKinley in Alaska’s Denali National Park, we are witnessing a consequential shift in the politics of place naming.
Derek Alderman, Chancellor’s Professor of Geography, and Seth Kannarr, a graduate student in geography, joined Assistant Professor of Geography Jordan Brasher from Macalester College to research place re-naming and its impacts. Read about their findings at The Conversation.
UT is a member of The Conversation, an independent source for news articles and informed analysis written by the academic community and edited by journalists for the general public. Through this partnership, we seek to provide a better understanding of the important work of our researchers. Read more of our articles published by The Conversation on the UT news site.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Cindi King (865-974-0937, cking126@utk.edu)