2015 International Symposium on Place Names

http://conferences.ufs.ac.za/default.aspx?DCode=732

2015 International Symposium on Place Names:







“Place names, diversity and heritage”

Organised by the IGU Commission/ICA Working Group on Toponymy and the Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment, UFS

Protea Hotel, Clarens, Free State Province, South Africa, 16-17 September 2015

Announcement We are proud to announce the next symposium on place names in Clarens, Free State Province, South Africa, 17-18 September 2015, jointly organised by the IGU Commission/ICA Working Group on Toponymy and the Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment, University of the Free State (UFS). Topic of the symposium: “Place names, diversity and heritage” Spaces obtain meaning because of the role they play in human events or conceptualisations of the world. The descriptions and interpretations of these spaces are intertwined with human objectives and values. These could be determined by prevalent ideologies, whether political, social or cultural. As such, names are artefacts of social, political, cultural and demographic discourses. They importantly also serve as a reflection of identity, both cultural and collective, thereby denoting a range of diversities Given that society is dynamic and the accompanying determining factors are also in flux, names are sometimes changed to reflect new realities. In other instances they are left unchanged. Nevertheless, toponymic landscapes generally capture to a lesser or greater extent the diversity of their context and also largely relate strongly to the heritage of name givers. For many people changes in place names have a bearing on these aspects. One therefore often finds that orchestrated place name changes become an instrument of legitimation for one section of a society and are therefore being contested by another section of the society. This prompts questions about the management of place names in diverse societies and the role of heritage associated with place names. This symposium follows on the very recent one held in Rome, Italy (17 – 18 November 2014); and will follow shortly on the ones in Moscow and Rio de Janeiro, both in August 2015. It seeks to specifically investigate the relation between place names, diversity and heritage. Potential subtopics This is simply a list of suggestions; papers relating to place names of any kind are welcomed: functions of place names on maps rendering of place names on maps names placement on maps principles for creating new place names place names as expression of time- or space-related identity place name/feature relations motives for place naming place names and administration place names and transportation place names in the cyber world social dimensions of place names historical dimension of place names authenticity and place names place names management place names, multilingualism and language visibility principles for solving place-name conflicts Those interested in presenting papers or posters are invited to send their abstracts (maximum 400 words in English or Afrikaans) to kongresetfb@ufs.ac.za by 17 July 2015. Scientific council and paper selection committee  Theodorus du Plessis (South Africa): Director, Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment, UFS  Peter E. Raper (South Africa): Member of the Steering Board, Joint IGU/ICA Commission/Working Group on Toponymy; Research Fellow, Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment, UFS  Cosimo Palagiano (Italy): IGU Chair, Joint IGU/ICA Commission/Working Group on Toponymy  Paulo Márcio Leal de Menezes (Brazil): ICA Chair, Joint IGU/ICA Commission/Working Group on Toponymy  Peter Jordan (Austria): Member of the Steering Board, Joint IGU/ICA Commission/Working Group on Toponymy  Johan Lubbe (South Africa): Research Fellow, Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment, UFS  Johan Moll (South Africa): Research Fellow, Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment, UFS Keynote Peter E. Raper (South Africa): Member of the Steering Board, Joint IGU/ICA Commission/Working Group on Toponymy; Research Fellow, Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment, UFS Important dates February 2015: First call for papers May 2015: Second call for papers 17 July 2015: Deadline for submission of abstracts (maximum 400 words) 14 August 2015: Registrations close Languages of the symposium English and Afrikaans (interpreting to English will be provided) Conference fees To be announced Conference proceedings A selection of the papers will be published as conference proceedings in a special edition of the Nomina Africa, accredited journal of the Names Society of Southern Africa. Queries Please send abstracts or any enquiries to kongresetfb@ufs.ac.za. More about the venue Clarens is a picturesque little town in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains. The symposium will be hosted at theProtea Hotel but there is a range of accommodation alternatives available in town and everything is within walking distance of each other. The conference fee does not include transport. Clarens is approximately 300km from Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Durban (3 to 4 hours of driving away). There is no public transport, but delegates could rent a car, shuttle or chauffeur service. Maluti Footprints and Tours provides shuttle services as well as an assortment of tours. Detailed road maps More about airports, maps, and transport/car hire International delegates – information about visa requirements, exchange rates, maps, and so forth Air travel: Most of the world’s airlines fly to South Africa, mostly directly to the O.R. Tambo International airport at Johannesburg.