Intellectual Humility and the Performance of Deference

Sor Juana's writings frequently perform deference to male authority and Church hierarchy while advancing arguments of remarkable intellectual boldness. She presented herself as a humble servant of knowledge while clearly asserting her own authority and insight. This concept examines the strategic performance of humility—not as false consciousness but as conscious navigation of power. Marginalized intellectuals, particularly women and colonized peoples, have long used performed deference as a survival strategy and rhetorical tool. By appearing unthreatening, one gains permission to speak; by claiming humility, one deflects accusations of arrogance or presumption; by deferring to established authorities, one creates intellectual space. Yet this performance often masks genuine conviction and intellectual confidence. Understanding Sor Juana's strategic use of deference helps contemporary thinkers recognize similar patterns in their own contexts and in historical texts: the moments where apparent submission contains actual subversion, where politeness masks intellectual courage, where the performance itself becomes a form of agency.