Epistemic Justice Within Power Structures

Sor Juana critiques those who dismiss women's reasoning, indigenous peoples's wisdom, or the poor's understanding—she argues epistemic injustice occurs when power structures prevent certain voices from being heard as knowers. Yet she works within these structures to gain hearing. She demonstrates epistemic justice as a practice: listening carefully, taking seriously what others understand from their position, insisting on the reasonableness of those conventionally denied reason. In Confucian role identity, your relationships involve people in different positions—subordinates, children, those with less formal education, those from different backgrounds. Justice requires that you genuinely listen to their understanding of their own experience, their expertise in their domain, their moral insight. Hierarchy doesn't mean you monopolize truth; it means you have responsibility to protect others' capacity to be heard and known. This transforms power from domination into stewardship of others' intellectual and moral standing.