Knowledge as Sovereignty and Its Distribution

Sor Juana understood that in her colonial context, knowledge itself was a form of power—and access to it was strictly rationed. Who could read Latin? Who had access to books? Who was permitted to study theology? These gatekeeping practices weren't accidents but mechanisms of control. Knowledge as sovereignty means recognizing that those with privilege often possess not just more knowledge but knowledge deemed legitimate, valuable, and worthy of dissemination. Acknowledging this privilege involves examining what you've been permitted to know and what has been kept from you—and more importantly, what others are being prevented from knowing. Sor Juana's legacy teaches that intellectual justice requires not hoarding knowledge but actively working to democratize access. The privilege is not in knowing more, but in controlling what counts as knowledge and who gets to learn it.