The Relational Self in Justice Work

Sor Juana grappled constantly with multiple identities—scholar, nun, woman, voice of critique—each defined through relationships: with God, Church authorities, her intellectual community, the oppressed. She demonstrated that the self is not autonomous and pre-formed but emerges through relational contexts. In care ethics—justice from relationship, this transforms how we approach identity-based justice. Rather than advocating for abstract 'women's rights' or 'indigenous rights,' we recognize that justice means honoring the actual relational contexts in which people live: family bonds, community ties, spiritual commitments, dependencies. This framework asks: How do relationships constitute who we are? How can we pursue justice that strengthens rather than severs the relational webs we depend on? It prioritizes attention to particular others over universal rules.