The Economics of Renunciation and Refusal

Sor Juana renounced worldly wealth, marriage, and social advancement—apparently impoverishing her position—yet this renunciation freed her from certain social obligations and enabled intellectual focus. She chose poverty (or accepted it) rather than pursuing conventional feminine advancement. This concept examines how renunciation and refusal function economically and psychologically. For people already materially poor, renouncing aspirations for wealth can reduce shame and redirect energy toward non-material values: relationships, knowledge, creativity, spirituality, justice. This is not celebrating poverty but recognizing that the psychological costs of constantly pursuing material security can exceed the benefits of temporary wealth. Sor Juana's example suggests that when material advancement requires surrendering intellectual or spiritual commitments, renunciation becomes liberating. Today, this applies to people choosing non-lucrative work (caregiving, activism, art, teaching) or rejecting consumerist values. The framework distinguishes between imposed poverty (dehumanizing, unjust) and chosen renunciation (potentially liberating), arguing that poor communities benefit from discourses validating non-material values alongside justice demands for material security.