These fascinating questions will be explored in the next Onomastics Online lecture, organised by the International Council of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS), on Thursday, 12 November 2026, at 17:00 CET (UTC+1).
The invited speaker, Maleshoane Rapeane-Mathonsi, Associate Professor at Durban University of Technology, South Africa, will present:
“A socio-onomastic analysis of Basotho blanket names and colours: from representations of unity to turf wars”
The session will be moderated by Chrismi Loth (University of the Free State, South Africa).
When a Blanket Becomes a Name, a Symbol and an Identity
The traditional Basotho blanket is much more than an item of clothing. Deeply embedded in the cultural heritage of Lesotho, it represents national pride, collective memory and belonging. Its distinctive patterns and colours carry social meanings, while individual blankets receive names associated with their designs, symbolism or occasions of use.
These names form a fascinating onomastic system in which material culture, linguistic expression and social identity intersect.
Yet the same blanket that symbolises national unity can also communicate division.
In contemporary Basotho society, particular blanket colours have become associated with competing groups. Supporters of the rival accordion music groups Seakhi and Terene, for example, identify themselves through blue/black and yellow blankets, respectively. Political affiliations may likewise be expressed through distinctive blanket colours.
The result is a remarkable transformation: a shared cultural emblem becomes a visual marker of group membership, rivalry and social boundaries.
What Can Socio-Onomastics Reveal?
Drawing on information from Aranda and other blanket retailers, family collections and published literature, Rapeane-Mathonsi examines the names assigned to Basotho blankets and the cultural knowledge embedded in them.
Her research raises broader questions relevant to contemporary onomastics:
How do names attached to cultural objects acquire social meaning? How do naming practices express collective identities? And how can the same named object simultaneously represent solidarity and division?
By examining the relationships between names, colours, symbolism and group identity, the lecture demonstrates that onomastic research extends far beyond conventional personal names and place names.
It also offers a valuable perspective on the naming of material objects and the ways such names participate in social communication, cultural identification and the construction of group boundaries.
About the Speaker
Maleshoane Rapeane-Mathonsi is Associate Professor in Media, Language and Communication at Durban University of Technology, South Africa.
She earned her PhD at the University of Cape Town and previously worked at the National University of Lesotho. Her research interests include formal linguistics, socio-onomastics, and language and gender.
She has contributed to the Lesotho Sign Language Dictionary, works as a translator and serves as Deputy President of the Names Society of Southern Africa. She is also involved in the International Symposium on Place Names and co-founded academic conferences within DUT's Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
Event Details and Registration
Date: Thursday, 12 November 2026
Time: 17:00 CET (UTC+1) / 18:00 SAST (UTC+2)
Speaker: Maleshoane Rapeane-Mathonsi (Durban University of Technology, South Africa)
Moderator: Chrismi Loth (University of the Free State, South Africa)
Platform: Microsoft Teams
Organiser: International Council of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS)
Register for the Onomastics Online lecture
Preregistration is required. Registered participants will receive a meeting link by email, followed by an automatic reminder one hour before the event.
About Onomastics Online
Onomastics Online is an international lecture series organised by ICOS, bringing together scholars from different academic disciplines to discuss significant developments in names and naming research.
The series highlights the multidisciplinary character of onomastics and provides a forum for exchanging ideas across linguistic, cultural and geographical boundaries.
Further information about the lecture series and recordings of previous events can be found through:
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