热带地理2026，Vol.46Issue(9)：1751-1763,13.DOI:10.13284/j.cnki.rddl.20260080
南海诸岛地名标准化中的权力、记忆与身份认同
The Power,Memory,and Identity in the Standardization of Place Names of the South China Sea Islands:An Interpretation from the Perspective of Critical Toponymy
摘要
Abstract
The South China Sea Islands and their adjacent waters-as an integral part of China's inherent territory-have profound strategic significance.The formation,evolution,and standardization of these official place names encapsulate China's enduring endeavors to develop,manage,and govern the South China Sea,while serving as a pivotal conduit for constructing national identity.Since the advent of critical toponymy,place names have been redefined as a symbolic system laden with power relations,ideologies,and cultural politics.The processes of naming,renaming,and standardizing place names are essentially political practices in which specific entities impose meaning and order on geographical spaces.In this context,this study adopts the theoretical lens of critical toponymy.It examines the three standardized naming initiatives for the South China Sea Islands(in 1983,2020,and 2024)as its research focus.Combining literature review,textual analysis,and historical comparison,this study systematically explores the political and cultural logic underlying the standardization of place names from the perspectives of power,memory,and identity.Studies reveal that the three naming practices are characterized by notable features of"historical continuity,local integration,and scientific enrichment."Official historical continuity is motivated by both the imperative for stability and the acknowledgment of the positive connotations of cultural and political symbols embedded in the place names of preceding administrations.Integrating fishermen's place names elevates their collective memory to the national level and signals to the international community China's historical presence and ongoing stewardship of the South China Sea.At the same time,scientific naming is essential for marine resource development and highlights the government's administrative capacity over the South China Sea space.Against the backdrop of international discourse competition,these naming practices have transcended their practical utility and evolved into highly symbolic cultural and political emblems:they materialize national sovereignty claims in the realm of power,forge a continuous historical narrative of the Chinese nation's engagement with the South China Sea in the realm of memory,and reinvigorate national identity in the realm of identity.This outcome also underscores that the standardized naming of the South China Sea Islands is a technical exercise and a profound cultural and political endeavor.While bolstering national sovereignty,it also mirrors the intense struggle for international discourse dominance.In constructing a historical continuum for the nation,it politicizes spatial representation and contributes discourse resources imbued with Chinese agency to the endeavor of building China into a 21st-century maritime power.Place names,thus,emerge as a strategic symbolic arena intertwining history,power,and identity.Theoretically,the study breaks free from the traditional textual emphasis in place name research,offering an analytical framework grounded in critical toponymy for the study of South China Sea place names.Practically,it enhances our understanding of the political rationale behind the standardization of South China Sea place names and provides theoretical underpinnings for China to articulate its claims on the international stage.关键词
批判地名学/南海诸岛/标准地名/历史记忆/国家认同Key words
critical toponymy/the South China Sea Islands/standardized place names/historical memory/national identity分类
社会科学引用本文复制引用
马雪,周文德..南海诸岛地名标准化中的权力、记忆与身份认同[J].热带地理,2026,46(9):1751-1763,13.基金项目
国家社科基金重大招标项目"地名用字搜集整理、形音义研究与基础信息平台建设"(18ZDA294) （18ZDA294）
