Knowledge as Justice Practice

Sor Juana collected an extensive library, studied mathematics, philosophy, theology, and science, and produced work across genres—defending the intellectual life as inherently valuable and as necessary for human dignity. In her tradition, knowledge is not separate from justice; the right to know is inseparable from the right to participate fully in society, to make informed decisions, and to resist manipulation. This framework challenges civil disobedience movements that focus solely on political action, suggesting that educational access, literacy, scientific literacy, and the preservation of suppressed histories are themselves forms of justice work. Across traditions—from freedom schools in the American South to popular education movements in Latin America to Indigenous knowledge preservation—this concept recognizes that those who control what can be known maintain power over what can be imagined. Therefore, the work of expanding knowledge, teaching, archiving, and supporting intellectual development becomes directly aligned with resistance to oppression. This is especially powerful for long-term transformation, as it creates generations capable of imagining and building different futures.