Epistemic Justice in Poverty

Sor Juana challenged epistemic injustice—the dismissal of women's intellectual contributions—in her era. This concept extends that struggle to poverty contexts, where lived experience and knowledge from poor communities are systematically discredited. Epistemic justice means recognizing that those experiencing poverty possess legitimate knowledge about systemic inequality, survival strategies, and social reality. Sor Juana's insistence on her right to think and speak models epistemic resistance. In practice, this involves amplifying poor communities' voices in policy, academia, and public discourse; validating experiential knowledge; and dismantling hierarchies that position poverty as intellectual deficit rather than circumstantial condition. The framework challenges assumptions that poverty indicates lesser intelligence or understanding. Applying Sor Juana's tradition means actively listening to and crediting the knowledge of those in poverty, recognizing that their insights are essential to understanding and addressing systemic injustice. This transforms poverty from a disqualifying status to a legitimate epistemological position.