Epistemic Justice in Self-Naming

Sor Juana asserted her authority to speak about theology, philosophy, and her own intellectual capacities despite challenges from male ecclesiastical authorities who deemed her unfit to make such claims. Contemporary epistemology recognizes that marginalized people face testimonial injustice—others refuse to believe what they say about themselves and their experience. Epistemic justice in self-naming means the right to be believed when you name your identity, your knowledge, your values, and your traditions. Across cultures, this right is denied to women, colonized peoples, religious minorities, and others whose testimony is devalued. Sor Juana's insistence on her intellectual authority despite dismissal models this demand for epistemic justice. The concept acknowledges that identity-naming is not merely personal expression but a claim to credibility. When cultures meet, power dynamics often determine whose identity claims are believed. Genuine intercultural respect requires granting epistemic justice—trusting people's own accounts of their identity, knowledge, and cultural inheritance.