Tame the name: an analysis of the treatment of Persian names in English-speaking contexts

Amin Heidari

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Abstract

This article examines two mechanisms in treating Persian names in English-speaking contexts: name projection and name adoption. The article adopts Edward Said's Orientalism, noting Western-centric naming and colonial division with Western superiority. The treatment of the Oriental name will be discussed within the frame of linguistic Orientalism which refers to the portrayal or study of Eastern languages and cultures through the lens of Western superiority or exoticisation. Previously, this mindset projected the coloniser's preferred names onto the territory and individuals of the Other. Today, the name of the Other is governed as the subjects from different backgrounds are propelled to conform to the coloniser's preferences in choosing Anglo-sounding names. I will conclude that the shift from the authoritative name projection to the disciplinary name adoption manifests a Foucauldian trajectory from ‘sovereign power’ to modern ‘disciplinary power’ in taming the name of the Other.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)23-48
Number of pages26
JournalTheoria: a journal of social and political theory
Volume71
Issue number180
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Bibliographical note

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Keywords

  • disciplinary power
  • linguistic Orientalism
  • name adoption
  • name projection
  • Orientalism
  • sovereign power

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