Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / Projecting National Identity in Urban Russian Discourse through Metronyms

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Issue
Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2026 19 (10)
Authors
Suleimanova, Olga A.; Lepilov, Vladimir Yu.
Contact information
Suleimanova, Olga A. : Institute of Foreign Languages, Moscow City University (Moscow, Russian Federation); ; ORCID: 0000-0002-4972-0338; Lepilov, Vladimir Yu. : Institute of Foreign Languages, Moscow City University (Moscow, Russian Federation); ORCID: 0000-0001-7416-7506
Keywords
metronyms; toponymy; national identity; urban discourse; metro stations; toponymic cleansing; commemoration; politics of naming; Russia
Abstract

This study examines metro station names (metronyms) in seven major Russian cities as instruments for projecting national identity in urban discourse amid political change. Based on over 400 metronyms, the analysis correlates opening dates with socio-political periods and classifies names by semantic type (political/cultural figures, geographical/ historical objects, industrial achievements, social groups). Results show a consistent shift from ideologically charged Soviet-era names to predominantly geographical and commemorative post-Soviet principles. Toponymic cleansing affected 11 % of Moscow stations and occurred in several other cities as well. Metro naming functions as soft power, embedding official historical narratives into everyday urban navigation and reinforcing collective memory. The findings confirm that small-format urban texts serve as strategic resources for legitimizing authority and shaping national identity

Pages
2044–2052
EDN
IEXPZL
Paper at repository of SibFU
https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/160168

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