The Right to Interpret: Resisting Imposed Meaning

Sor Juana fought against male authorities claiming exclusive right to interpret Scripture and knowledge; similarly, policing across cultures must reject the assumption that officer interpretation of community behavior is automatically correct. When an officer decides that a particular gesture, tone, or action is 'suspicious' or 'threatening,' they're imposing their cultural interpretation as universal fact. This becomes dangerous across cultural lines where gestures, eye contact, emotional expression, and even silence carry different meanings. Communities have the right to explain themselves—what their words meant, why they acted as they did, what their cultural context requires. Building trust means creating space for multiple interpretations and checking assumptions. Sor Juana insisted on her right to be understood on her own terms; effective cross-cultural policing extends this right to all community members. This shifts power: from unilateral police judgment toward dialogue where meaning is negotiated rather than imposed.