Intellectual Authority and Gender Assignment

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz fought vigorously to establish her intellectual authority despite social pressures to conform to feminine ideals of her era. This concept examines how cisgender identity often comes with predetermined assumptions about intellectual capacity and worth based on gender assignment at birth. By studying Sor Juana's defense of her right to pursue knowledge, we can understand how cisgender individuals internalize or resist gendered expectations about what kinds of thinking they're permitted to do. The framework asks: What intellectual pursuits have I avoided because they seemed incompatible with my assigned gender? How do I validate my own knowledge-seeking? Recognizing these patterns allows people to reclaim intellectual authority as a fundamental human right, not a gendered privilege.