The Power of Naming and Renaming

Sor Juana fought against limiting definitions imposed on her—as a woman, as a colonial subject, as a nun—and used her writing to propose alternative names and descriptions for who she was. She claimed identities like "philosopher" and "scientist" that society had not allocated to women. For cisgender identity examined, this concept acknowledges that the language we inherit for gender may be constraining. If you're cisgender, the available vocabulary might consist only of conventional expressions. This framework invites creative naming: perhaps you find that existing gender descriptors don't quite capture your experience, and you develop more precise language. Or you might reclaim traditionally gendered terms and pour new meaning into them. The power to name—and rename—oneself is the power to define reality. Sor Juana's example shows that language-making is an act of intellectual and personal freedom.