Maps and Geographical Names as Tokens of National Interests
The treaty of 9 February 1920 granted Norway full sovereignty over the ‘Archipelago of Spitsbergen’, by which name this Arctic territory was known at the time. Assuming sovereignty five years later, Norway altered the official name to ‘Svalbard’. To what extent was the name-change a token of nationa...
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Septentrio Academic Publishing
2020
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.7557/13.4994 https://doaj.org/article/4ae0aad894734413a875a8da8a6608a5 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:4ae0aad894734413a875a8da8a6608a5 2023-05-15T15:04:18+02:00 Maps and Geographical Names as Tokens of National Interests Thor Bjørn Arlov 2020-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.7557/13.4994 https://doaj.org/article/4ae0aad894734413a875a8da8a6608a5 EN NO eng nor Septentrio Academic Publishing https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/nordlit/article/view/4994 https://doaj.org/toc/0809-1668 https://doaj.org/toc/1503-2086 doi:10.7557/13.4994 0809-1668 1503-2086 https://doaj.org/article/4ae0aad894734413a875a8da8a6608a5 Nordlit: Tidsskrift i litteratur og kultur, Iss 45 (2020) Svalbard Spitsbergen history geography mapping place-names Norwegian literature PT8301-9155 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.7557/13.4994 2022-12-30T23:14:16Z The treaty of 9 February 1920 granted Norway full sovereignty over the ‘Archipelago of Spitsbergen’, by which name this Arctic territory was known at the time. Assuming sovereignty five years later, Norway altered the official name to ‘Svalbard’. To what extent was the name-change a token of national interests or even blatant nationalism? This paper outlines the origin and usage of the place-names Spitsbergen and Svalbard in light of the area’s mapping and nomenclature and with an emphasis on national bias. It briefly discusses the different practices and principles of geographical naming. This paper proposes that the change in official nomenclature from Spitsbergen to Svalbard in 1924–1925, though partly due to justifiable practical considerations, was primarily a political act to construct national bonds with the newly won territory. Although perceived as part of a ‘Norwegianization’ process in the northern regions, the name-change itself was not intended to provoke foreign reactions, but rather to satisfy a domestic audience. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Svalbard Spitsbergen Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Svalbard Norway Nordlit 45 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English Norwegian |
topic |
Svalbard Spitsbergen history geography mapping place-names Norwegian literature PT8301-9155 |
spellingShingle |
Svalbard Spitsbergen history geography mapping place-names Norwegian literature PT8301-9155 Thor Bjørn Arlov Maps and Geographical Names as Tokens of National Interests |
topic_facet |
Svalbard Spitsbergen history geography mapping place-names Norwegian literature PT8301-9155 |
description |
The treaty of 9 February 1920 granted Norway full sovereignty over the ‘Archipelago of Spitsbergen’, by which name this Arctic territory was known at the time. Assuming sovereignty five years later, Norway altered the official name to ‘Svalbard’. To what extent was the name-change a token of national interests or even blatant nationalism? This paper outlines the origin and usage of the place-names Spitsbergen and Svalbard in light of the area’s mapping and nomenclature and with an emphasis on national bias. It briefly discusses the different practices and principles of geographical naming. This paper proposes that the change in official nomenclature from Spitsbergen to Svalbard in 1924–1925, though partly due to justifiable practical considerations, was primarily a political act to construct national bonds with the newly won territory. Although perceived as part of a ‘Norwegianization’ process in the northern regions, the name-change itself was not intended to provoke foreign reactions, but rather to satisfy a domestic audience. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Thor Bjørn Arlov |
author_facet |
Thor Bjørn Arlov |
author_sort |
Thor Bjørn Arlov |
title |
Maps and Geographical Names as Tokens of National Interests |
title_short |
Maps and Geographical Names as Tokens of National Interests |
title_full |
Maps and Geographical Names as Tokens of National Interests |
title_fullStr |
Maps and Geographical Names as Tokens of National Interests |
title_full_unstemmed |
Maps and Geographical Names as Tokens of National Interests |
title_sort |
maps and geographical names as tokens of national interests |
publisher |
Septentrio Academic Publishing |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7557/13.4994 https://doaj.org/article/4ae0aad894734413a875a8da8a6608a5 |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard Norway |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard Norway |
genre |
Arctic Svalbard Spitsbergen |
genre_facet |
Arctic Svalbard Spitsbergen |
op_source |
Nordlit: Tidsskrift i litteratur og kultur, Iss 45 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/nordlit/article/view/4994 https://doaj.org/toc/0809-1668 https://doaj.org/toc/1503-2086 doi:10.7557/13.4994 0809-1668 1503-2086 https://doaj.org/article/4ae0aad894734413a875a8da8a6608a5 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7557/13.4994 |
container_title |
Nordlit |
container_issue |
45 |
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1766336096065552384 |