This master thesis is written in the context of the implementation of article 169 of the 3DS law in France, which recognizes the competence of communes in addressing matters. Since the implementation decree of August 11, 2023, all communes have been required to address their territory. This national obligation raises contemporary issues linked to standardization, representativeness, the memorial role of names and the construction of identity.

The aim of this research is to analyze the issues of participation, the place of microtoponyms, and the reception of neodonyms in French overseas territories. The case study focuses on the Coeur de Grippon EcoDistrict in Morne-à-l'Eau, Guadeloupe.

This municipality began addressing in 2013, with the aim of developing its addressing through a participatory approach and using the innovative “smart addressing” system. The aim of smart addressing is to tell the story of place names by means of QR codes affixed to street signs.

This research examines the way in which odonyms contribute to heritage, the enhancement of Creole identities and the construction of collective memories in a post-colonial context.

In addition, this work questions the role of naming as a tool for historicizing places and as a marker of power. We also question the role of toponymy as a vector of plural memories that include narratives, local histories, and Creole identities. During the research, we will address questions of center and periphery, and private property, which are proving to be a decisive variable in the dynamics of participatory addressing.