The Right to Intellectual Authorship

Sor Juana's life exemplifies the struggle for intellectual ownership when identity and circumstances seek to deny it. She asserted her right to study, write, and claim authorship despite Church pressure and gender restrictions. This concept addresses how naming oneself as a knower and creator becomes an act of justice. Across cultures, marginalized groups face erasure of their intellectual contributions—indigenous knowledge systems are appropriated, women scholars are uncredited, and voices from the Global South are silenced. Recognizing the right to intellectual authorship means acknowledging that identity includes the power to define one's own knowledge claims. It demands institutional structures that honor diverse thinkers and protect intellectual property across cultural boundaries. This framework helps communities reclaim stolen intellectual heritage and establish equitable recognition systems that honor all knowledge-makers equally.