The Name as Political Act

Sor Juana's insistence on being called 'Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz'—a name that claimed religious authority while maintaining her individual identity—was a political statement. In colonial contexts, naming practices reinforced hierarchy: colonizers renamed indigenous peoples, enslaved people had names imposed upon them, and women lost their surnames to family patriarchies. By examining names as political acts, we recognize that what we call ourselves and what we allow others to call us shapes power relationships. Across cultures, reclaiming ancestral names, adopting new names in diaspora, or hyphenating surnames represent conscious political choices. Sor Juana's example reveals that the seemingly personal act of naming is deeply political. Choosing, fighting for, and protecting your name is an assertion of agency, dignity, and the right to self-determination within systems designed to diminish your autonomy.