"The Overlaid Past: The Politics of Space and Memory in Gibraltar’s ‘Doubling’ Street Naming Principle", by Dr Jennifer Ballantine

The next in the Gibraltar National Museum’s lecture series will take place this Thursday, 13^th January, at the John Mackintosh Hall at 7pm. The speaker, Dr Jennifer Ballantine will give a lecture entitled “The Overlaid Past: The Politics of Space and Memory in Gibraltar’s ‘Doubling’ Street Naming Principle.”

This lecture looks at the way in which traditional street names persisted in Gibraltar even when they posed a threat or resistance to the implementation of official street names. The urban centre of Gibraltar became imaginatively mapped by Gibraltarians through their local knowledge of these streets and through the use of a linguistically and culturally codified naming principle. Services personnel and English settlers found this street name system impenetrable. Having two ways of naming streets generated tensions.

To illustrate these differences, Dr Ballantine shall be drawing upon a number of street name lists produced in different historical eras. A number of these names became necessary as navigational guides to assist non-locals in finding, and therefore accessing, streets in Gibraltar’s city centre. The lists also draw attention to the limitations inherent in a colonial-style mapping when it was overlaid by the mapping held by Gibraltarians. The result, not only led to a doubling of names but also to the presence of “two Gibraltars”.

Entry is free.

The full programme of remaining lectures is:

Gibraltar National Museum Lecture Series: 2021-22 Programme

Thursday 13^th January 2022

Dr Jennifer Ballantine, The Gibraltar Garrison Library
The Overlaid Past: The Politics of Space and Memory in Gibraltar’s ‘Doubling’ Street Naming Principle

Thursday 17^th February 2022

Professor Clive Finlayson, The Gibraltar National Museum
From the Pillars of Heracles to Jebel Tarik: Gibraltar from 800 BCE to 1462 CE.

Thursday 17^th March 2022

Dr Stewart Finlayson, The Gibraltar National Museum
Underworld

Thursday 21^st April 2022

Dr Keith Bensusan, The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens
Ocean Wanderers, Near and Far. Seabirds throughout the World

Thursday 26^th May 2022

Professor Geraldine Finlayson, The Gibraltar National Museum
Tales from the museum