The Hermeneutics of Suspicion Applied to Names

Sor Juana applied interpretive suspicion to religious, philosophical, and social texts, asking what power dynamics underlie their arguments. Applied to names and identity categories, this hermeneutics asks: Who named this group? What purposes does this categorization serve? Who benefits from this naming system? Colonial names imposed on indigenous peoples, gendered titles that restrict identity expression, religious labels that override self-identification—all become legible through suspicious reading. Sor Juana's intellectual tradition teaches that dominant narratives about identity deserve critical examination. Names are never neutral; they carry histories of power, appropriation, and resistance. By applying hermeneutic suspicion to naming systems—whether cultural categories, professional titles, ethnic designations, or family roles—people can recognize how their identities have been constructed and where they have agency to rename themselves. This practice is especially vital in postcolonial and multicultural contexts where inherited names often carry colonial or oppressive histories.