The Politics of Honorific Naming and Address

Sor Juana was 'Sor' (Sister), 'Poetisa' (Poetess), 'Décima Musa' (Tenth Muse), and 'La Fénix' (The Phoenix)—titles that positioned her variously as religious, female intellectual, classical parallel, and rare genius. Each title carried implications about her identity and authority, and she navigated, challenged, and sometimes embraced them strategically. Forms of address—how one is named, what titles one bears, which honorifics apply—are never merely linguistic; they are political statements about identity and dignity. Across cultures, the right to be addressed properly becomes an identity claim: demanding one's name be pronounced correctly, insisting on earned titles, rejecting diminishing forms of address. Conversely, marginalized communities sometimes reclaim derogatory terms, transforming them through reappropriation. Sor Juana's example reveals the politics embedded in naming and address: who gets to be called 'Don,' 'Doctor,' 'Master'? Who is reduced to first names or diminutives? The politics of honorific naming directly impacts identity formation and social recognition. Understanding this framework allows people to consciously engage with how they are named and address others, asserting dignity and claiming recognition across cultural contexts.