Using Bombay when considering a decision in the 1920s helps retain the terminology familiar to people making that decision. Mumbai is the modern name, just as Sri Lanka has replaced Ceylon in current usage. Period names can help reconstruct how contemporaries described and organised the world around them. Even an alphabetical list would place Bombay and Mumbai in different positions, illustrating how a change in terminology can alter the order in which places are encountered.
Notable Point · 1:00:53-1:02:06
Why historical analysis uses period place names
Bombay and Ceylon illustrate how period place names can help reconstruct the vocabulary and assumptions of historical decision-makers.