Names as Historical Erasure and Recovery

Sor Juana's full name, Juana Inés de la Cruz, was often shortened or forgotten by those who tried to minimize her significance. Later writers restored and insisted upon her full name as an act of historical correction. This concept examines how erasure operates through naming practices—how women's contributions are credited to men, how colonized peoples' names are supplanted by colonial impositions, how marginalized figures are nicknamed or diminished. Recovery of authentic names becomes an intellectual and political practice: tracking down documentary evidence, restoring full identities in citations, insisting on correct pronunciation and spelling. Across cultures, this work of naming recovery matters profoundly. It asserts that these individuals existed, mattered, and deserve to be remembered as they named themselves. Contemporary practices like properly crediting Black women scholars, using indigenous place names, and honoring chosen names all reflect this principle: that getting the name right is a fundamental act of recognition and justice.