The Validity of Critical Toponymy Perspectives for an Understanding of Human Perception on Places” by Dr. Sungjae Choo (Kyung Hee University, South Korea)

The research field of critical toponymy has been formulated as a platform to investigate political elements and power relations involved in adopting, using and changing geographical names. It is argued that critical toponymy perspectives contribute to understanding different identities that are sometimes contested, conflicted or disputed in naming a geographical feature, and thus ultimately diversify the human perception of places. Based on various facets of critical toponymy research, suggested as ‘multi-dimensional critical toponymy,’ this paper examines how different, contrasting or sometimes conflictual perceptions are exposed and developed. Two cases are examined: naming the sea between Korea and Japan; and naming a Russian city Volgograd, which was renamed from Stalingrad