Periagoge
Concept
1 min read

The Paradox of Visibility and Erasure

The recognition that cisgender identity, while socially dominant, remains largely invisible and unexamined, mirroring how Sor Juana's contributions were historically obscured despite her prominence.

Juana
Why It Matters

Sor Juana's work, though celebrated in her time, was suppressed and largely forgotten, her intellectual legacy erased from mainstream discourse. Similarly, cisgender identity benefits from invisibility—it is the unmarked norm against which others are measured, yet this invisibility prevents critical examination. The paradox is that dominance and erasure coexist: cisgender identity is everywhere and nowhere simultaneously. It structures social reality yet remains unexamined precisely because it appears natural and inevitable. Sor Juana's recovery as a thinker requires actively seeking her voice; similarly, examining cisgender identity requires making the invisible visible. This concept suggests that privilege includes the luxury of not having to think about one's identity. True wisdom demands breaking this silence, naming cisgender identity explicitly, and subjecting it to the same rigorous scrutiny applied to marginalized identities.

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Juana
Identity & Justice
Peri
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