Defending Intellectual Authority as Gender Act

Sor Juana's famous defense of her right to study and write was inherently a gender act—she asserted intellectual authority in spaces designed to exclude her. For cisgender people, particularly those socialized as women, claiming intellectual authority often requires recognizing how gender socialization may have taught deference or self-doubt. This concept invites examination of how one's cisgender identity has shaped confidence in knowledge claims. Do women silence themselves? Do men over-assert? This framework suggests that actively embodying intellectual authority—speaking in one's field, publishing ideas, challenging false consensus—becomes a conscious performance and affirmation of gendered identity. It reframes intellectual work not as gender-neutral but as deeply gendered practice, making visible the political dimensions of everyday knowledge-sharing and expertise.