What is the gender of a city? Odonyms and spatial genderization: An example of the City of Novi Sad

Abstract

Observing the city as a system of signs - the names of streets, monuments, architectural elements and entities through which the state and other institutions of power reflect the desired social narratives, including gendered reading of the public urban space. Focusing on the presence of women and the discourses of their representation in space, it indicates how, through the aforementioned sign system, gender power is inscribed in the city map. Relying on such a concept, this text problematizes street names as one of the indicators of the presence of women and women's history in the memory of the city and urban identity policies. Therefore, the analysis included: quantitative share of female anthroponyms in the total urban street names, structure of street terminology, roles and social contributions of women commemorated in urban toponymy, spatial position and fluctuation of observed streets, as well as presence of chosen female names in public memory. The information upon which the discussion on the gender identity of the city is based has been obtained through research into written sources, public space, street names and the public in Novi Sad.