Epistemic Justice and Environmental Truth-Telling

Sor Juana's recognition of how power distorts whose knowledge counts, whose voice is heard, and whose expertise is recognized offers environmental movements a framework for epistemic justice. Environmental racism and colonialism systematically devalue the knowledge of indigenous peoples, frontline communities, and Global South voices while privileging Western scientific institutions and corporate-funded research. This concept demands that environmental movements actively resist this epistemic hierarchy, centering the voices of those most harmed by ecological destruction. Indigenous land management practices, community-based environmental knowledge, and frontline testimony about specific harms must be recognized as authoritative. This is not merely about representation or inclusion; it is about truth-telling. The knowledge of those living with contamination, experiencing ecological collapse, and defending territory against extraction is not supplementary to expert knowledge—it is primary. Environmental civil disobedience rooted in epistemic justice refuses to ask permission from institutions that profit from ecological harm, instead trusting the testimony of those most intimate with the living world.