Intersectional Vulnerability and Corruption

Sor Juana occupied multiple positions of vulnerability: she was a woman in a patriarchal system, a scholar in an anti-intellectual hierarchy, a Mexican colonial subject in a Spanish empire. Her analysis of these intersecting constraints reveals how corruption exploits marginalized groups. Corruption-fighting that ignores identity fails. Women, indigenous peoples, the poor, and religious minorities face higher risks of bribery, sexual coercion, and exclusion from justice. Corrupt systems use identity categories to justify discrimination and extract resources. Effective anti-corruption must address how corruption intersects with gender-based violence, racial discrimination, and economic inequality. This means centering the voices and experiences of those most vulnerable, ensuring anti-corruption institutions are staffed and led by diverse communities, and recognizing that fighting corruption is inseparable from fighting structural injustice. Sor Juana's refusal to accept predetermined limitations based on her identity models the stance required: insisting on full human dignity and rights as non-negotiable foundations for justice.