Knowledge as Decolonial Resistance

Sor Juana's scholarly work—her poetry, theological arguments, and scientific observations—functioned as decolonial resistance. By claiming the right to knowledge production in a colonial context, she challenged the power structure that deemed indigenous and female minds incapable of intellectual contribution. Knowledge production is inherently political in colonial and post-colonial contexts. When marginalized communities develop scholarship, history, and theory about themselves rather than accepting imposed narratives, they engage in political identity formation. Sor Juana shows that writing, publishing, and intellectual dialogue are acts of political autonomy. Across cultures, communities reclaiming their histories, languages, and intellectual traditions through research and documentation exercise political power. This concept reframes academic work and knowledge creation not as neutral activities but as potential sites of resistance and identity affirmation for those whose communities have been epistemically marginalized.