The principle that access to learning and intellectual participation is a fundamental right tied to human dignity, not a privilege determined by social position.
Sor Juana fought against the epistemic injustice of her era—the systematic denial of women's right to learn, teach, and contribute to knowledge. Her legacy illuminates how Confucian role identity becomes distorted when certain groups are denied the intellectual resources their roles require. Epistemic justice means recognizing that the scholar-role, the sage-role, and the wisdom-keeper role cannot be authentically performed by those denied education and intellectual space. This concept challenges Confucian systems that distribute knowledge-access by gender, class, or caste. It asserts that role fulfillment depends on epistemic inclusion—the right to question, study, and speak. For contemporary practitioners, this reframes role obligations: part of fulfilling one's role is ensuring others can fulfill theirs through access to knowledge, dialogue, and intellectual recognition.
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