The Right to Intellectual Autonomy

Sor Juana's relentless assertion of her right to study, question, and think independently directly challenges colonial epistemic hierarchies that positioned European knowledge as superior. She modeled intellectual autonomy despite institutional constraints, insisting that the mind transcends gender, class, and colonial boundaries. For postcolonial decolonization, this concept establishes that reclaiming identity requires first asserting the right to think freely—to produce knowledge on one's own terms rather than through colonial frameworks. Indigenous and marginalized communities must resist the internalization of intellectual inferiority imposed by colonization, recognizing that autonomous thought is foundational to self-determination and cultural sovereignty.