Cartographies of Identity: The Ideological and Cultural Functions of Place Names in Latin American Literature

Authors

  • Irina Martynenko

    English Language Department, Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL), 123242 Moscow, Russia; Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Philology, Peoples’Friendship University of Russia Named after P. Lumumba (RUDN University), 117198 Moscow, Russia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v8i3.13553
Received: 7 January 2026 | Revised: 27 February 2026 | Accepted: 4 March 2026 | Published Online: 20 March 2026

Abstract

This study examines literary toponymy as a strategic resource for constructing, contesting, and reimagining national and regional identities in Latin American narrative discourse. Given the continent’s fundamental history, marked by the synthesis and violent clash of indigenous, European, and African cultures, toponyms in literature appear not as neutral geographical labels but as rich ideological signifiers. The article systematically identifies four main toponymic layers: pre-Columbian (Mexico, Guatemala, Bogotá, Ayacucho, Chacabuco, Arequipa), colonial (Buenos Aires, New Granada, La Plata, Fray Bentos, Bánfield), contemporary urban (slums, shopping malls, transportation hubs), and fictional (Macondo, Comala, Santa Teresa). Drawing on a broad corpus of works by Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, Gabriel García Márquez, Juan Rulfo, Roberto Bolaño, Julio Cortázar, Pablo Neruda, and others, the analysis demonstrates how writers deploy toponyms to perform four key functions: first, to anchor contemporary narratives in deep indigenous memory; second, to construct magical-realist chronotopes that undermine Eurocentric rationalism; third, to engage in sharp political and social critiques targeting femicide, neoliberalism, dictatorship, and alienation; and fourth, to forge continental solidarity through poetic geography. The conclusion is that in Latin American literary discourse, toponyms become polyphonic palimpsests, mythopoetic instruments, tools of social criticism, and symbols of a common regional destiny, concentrating in a single linguistic device the pain, magic, violence, and hope of a complex continent.

 

Keywords:

Latin America; Literature; Toponymy; National Identity

References

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How to Cite

Martynenko, I. (2026). Cartographies of Identity: The Ideological and Cultural Functions of Place Names in Latin American Literature. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 8(3), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v8i3.13553

Issue

Vol. 8, Iss. 3 (March 2026): In Progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2026 Irina Martynenko

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.