Periagoge
Concept
1 min read

The Body Claiming Its Own Education

Understanding physical self-concept as inseparable from the right and capacity to educate yourself, to learn, to develop intellectual agency in an embodied way.

Juana
Why It Matters

Sor Juana's most famous work, the Response to Sor Filotea, is a defense of her right to study without permission from male authorities. She describes how her body itself—her eyes, her hands, her voice—has participated in her education: reading, writing, observing, questioning. She claims that denying a body the right to learn is a form of violence. This concept asserts that your physical self cannot be separated from your right to know. Education is not a privilege granted to you by others; it is a capacity and birthright of your embodied self. Physical self-concept includes your agency to teach yourself, to seek knowledge, to develop your intellectual powers through your bodily presence and effort. This applies whether you have access to formal institutions or not—your body is an instrument of learning, and your physical identity includes your commitment to growth, understanding, and intellectual development.

Helpful guides
Juana
Identity & Justice
Peri
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