Names as Contested Territory

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz's very name reflects layered colonial history: the Spanish diminutive 'Sor' for 'Sister,' 'Juana' a Spanish Christian name imposed on indigenous populations, 'Inés' her convent name. Her birth name Juana Ramírez de Asbaje reflected her mestiza identity and parentage. Names carry history, encode power relations, and become sites where identity is contested. Across cultures and histories, colonized peoples receive imposed names. Enslaved people were renamed. Women lose their surnames in marriage. Immigrants experience their names mispronounced, simplified, or rejected by new societies. Yet names also become resistance: reclaiming indigenous names, choosing new names that reflect authentic identity, preserving ancestral naming practices. This concept recognizes naming as political. What you call yourself versus what others call you creates friction that reveals power structures. In culturally complex lives, people may have multiple names for different contexts, each carrying different affirmations. Understanding names as contested territory validates the emotional and identity significance of how one is named and the agency people exercise in choosing or reclaiming names.