Understanding that meaningful work allows people to express their deepest capacities and values, making worker alienation a violation of identity and calling, not merely economic injustice.
For Sor Juana, intellectual work was inseparable from her identity and sense of calling. She was driven by genuine curiosity, a need to understand, a desire to contribute to human knowledge. When institutions threatened to prevent her from this work, they threatened her very self. This concept expands worker justice beyond wages and hours to include meaning, purpose, and identity. Many workers experience profound alienation: their work contradicts their values, suppresses their talents, or serves no purpose they can respect. A teacher forced to teach to standardized tests rather than foster learning. A healthcare worker prevented from providing good care by profit-driven protocols. An artist trapped in exploitative gig work. This isn't merely economic—it's existential violation. Sor Juana's tradition insists that work should allow people to develop and express their capacities, to serve something meaningful. Worker justice requires examining whether work arrangements allow dignity, purpose, and authentic self-expression or whether they systematically alienate and diminish workers. This includes fighting for professional autonomy, meaningful work design, and spaces where workers' values and talents matter.
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