Spatial Sovereignty and Bodily Boundaries

Sor Juana's life was constrained within convents and closed spaces, yet she carved out intellectual and spiritual territory that was hers. She used the convent not as a prison but as a space of her own—a room of one's own, centuries before Woolf. Spatial sovereignty means claiming the right to control where your body goes, who has access to it, and what happens in the spaces you occupy. This is foundational to physical self-concept. When you lack control over your spatial sovereignty—when your body is confined, monitored, intruded upon, or unwelcome—your sense of identity fragments. Conversely, when you assert your right to occupy space (a room, a seat at a table, a place in public), when you establish boundaries around who can touch you or address you, when you create sanctuaries for yourself, you strengthen your physical self-concept. This is not selfish; it is a prerequisite for developing an integrated, grounded sense of who you are. Sor Juana teaches that even in constrained circumstances, you can claim some territory as yours.