Crimean Tatar Toponymy and Colonization

• In Event: Memory Transformation in Crimea: Historical Perception

Abstract

Crimean Tatar toponymy is deeply tied to memory, serving as both a historical record and an affirmation of the people’s relationship to the land. The Russian Empire and Soviet Union changed the original geographic names from Crimean Tatar to Russian and new Greek names with the first step of wiping out the existence of the Indigenous Crimean Tatars in the peninsula. By centering Crimean Tatar voices and experiences, this research aims to contribute to the broader discourse on decolonization and Indigenous resistance against imperial erasure.

Author

• Nara Narimanova, U of Alberta (Canada)