The space-time compression on indigenous toponymy: the case of mapuche toponymy in Chilean Norpatagonia
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
Abstract
The classic approach to research on toponymy is limited to a linguistic focus. This reductionism has had a negative impact on the study of the toponymy of intercultural and indigenous territories, as in the case of the northern Patagonia. Based on a two-year ethnographic study in northern Patagonia, this article analyzes the socio-spatial dimension of Mapuche toponymy, through a mixed methodology involving both data collection and analysis, and an ethnographic approach. The article analyzes how these toponyms emerge from a variety of socio-spatial practices and meanings that are not only intertwined, but also involve several social, environmental, and political dimensions. We argue that the study of indigenous toponymy as a space-time compression entails an ontological opening of toponymy based on the process of inhabiting place. In this regard, the paper discusses the importance of understanding indigenous toponymy as a historically situated process.
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Keywords
Norpatagonia, Indigenous toponymy, Space-time compression, Mapuche