The Politics of Silence and Speech

Sor Juana was eventually silenced—forced to give up her library and writings. But before that, she made calculated choices about what to publish, what to circulate in manuscript, and what to keep private. She understood that for a woman in a patriarchal church, every public word carried risk. Intersectionality requires this nuance: recognizing that marginalized people's silence is often not passive but strategic, that speech can be dangerous, and that the command to 'speak up' often comes from those with less risk to take. Conversely, dominant groups often speak freely while assuming their voice is universal. In practice, this means: listening to why people stay quiet, supporting those who choose to speak despite risk, not blaming people for self-protection, and examining our own assumptions about who 'should' be heard. It means creating conditions where silence is voluntary, not enforced.