Epistemic Justice and the Right to Know

Sor Juana's insistence on her right to study theology, philosophy, and science challenged a system that denied women epistemic authority. She fought for the right not only to know but to be recognized as a knower. This concept, rooted in contemporary philosophy, examines how identity and knowledge-rights are inseparable across cultures. Epistemic injustice occurs when someone's testimony or knowledge is dismissed because of their social identity—their gender, race, nationality, or cultural background. When a woman's scientific observation is ignored, when indigenous ecological knowledge is dismissed as 'superstition,' or when a person's lived experience is invalidated because of their accent or appearance, epistemic violence occurs. This erases not only knowledge but identity itself. The right to know and to be recognized as a knower becomes central to justice across cultures. It means creating spaces where diverse ways of understanding—whether scientific, spiritual, traditional, or experiential—are genuinely respected. This requires examining our own biases about who we trust as authorities and actively centering voices historically excluded from knowledge institutions.