Θεωρητική Προσέγγιση για τις Συμβολικές Ονοματολογικές Διεκδικήσεις και την Υπερπραγματικότητα

Περίληψη

Toponyms have the power to mobilize people by shaping captivating nationalist narratives. They can thus become a source for controversial policies, which usually cause the erosion of democratic values and the creation of new despotic regimes. This theoretical work uses ideas from Semiotics, according to which a symbol (the name of a region) can acquire meanings that do not necessarily align with empirical reality and, therefore, can be used to serve a constructed truth and a seemingly improved version of reality (hyperreality). Through research lasting more than six years and examples from various regions of the world, such as the “Gulf of America”, the “South China Sea”, the “Macedonian” and the “Arabian Gulf”, this paper proposes a new concept, “Symbolic Name Disputes” (SND), to explain the use of different names referring to the same geographical area. These disputes may focus on a specific geographical area or even concern an imaginary construction that exploits nationalist narratives about the identity of the nation-state, without specific border demarcation. The paper highlights the fact that we are facing a worldwide phenomenon, which is used to violate freedom and promote hate.