Opinion Correcting historical injustice through renaming is fraught

The names of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are under a cloud. A report in The Guardian speaks of astronomers appealing to the International Astronomical Union, calling for a change in the names of the dwarf satellite galaxies over the Southern Hemisphere. Their reason: The man they are named after — Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan — was a violent colonialist, known for his repression of local communities in modern-day Guam and Philippines. As someone who had nothing to do with the discovery of the clouds, it is an ill-begotten honour, especially since indigenous people knew of and had their own names for the Magellanic Clouds.

The Magellanic Clouds are not the only things named after Magellan, the man credited with leading the first expedition to circumnavigate the world. In 1519, he led the Spanish expedition to the “East Indies”, discovering the Strait of Magellan, the channel connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. There are also the Magellan Telescopes, the Magellanic penguin, Sphagnum magellanicum (Magellan’s peat moss), to name only a handful of things. But they are also indications of the politics of naming — and renaming — and its power play.

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The ‘Age of Discovery’ led to European nomenclature in diverse parts of the world, erasing regional cultures and contexts. Independence would lead to a renaming spree in an assertion of a national or local identity. The suggestion to rename the Magellanic Clouds is rooted in this politics of visibility. But it is also an exercise that needs careful maneuvering. In an era of majoritarian politics, engagement with history in all its messiness — its legacy of violence, injustice, progress or peace — is crucial for a broader understanding of events. Is renaming then another form of erasure or empowerment? Are there better ways to counter past prejudice? The answers might be worth looking for.