Epistemic Justice and Institutional Credibility

Sor Juana inhabited a world where her testimony—as a woman, as a lower-status intellectual—was systematically discredited by institutional gatekeepers. Epistemic justice, the right to be heard and believed as a knower, was denied her. Corruption exploits precisely this vulnerability: it systematically delegitimizes certain voices (whistleblowers, marginalized groups, subordinates) while amplifying others (those in power). When institutions refuse to grant equal credibility to all participants, corruption operates freely in the shadows of manufactured certainty. Sor Juana's own writing challenged this epistemic hierarchy; she asserted her right to knowledge and voice despite institutional dismissal. Fighting corruption requires restoring epistemic justice: creating systems where witnesses are believed, where evidence from all levels is considered, where institutional power cannot simply discredit inconvenient truths. This concept demands that anti-corruption efforts prioritize the voices of those closest to wrongdoing—often the least powerful—and create mechanisms that protect and amplify their credibility against institutional gaslighting.