Rights Claims as Intersectional Practice

Sor Juana claimed rights to intellectual work, to speak on theological matters, to her own conscience and judgment—claims that intersected with assertions about her right to exist as a woman with agency and authority. She understood these rights claims as inseparable; denying her intellectual rights was part of a broader system of control over women's bodies, choices, and voices. In intersectional practice, rights claims become more powerful when understood this way: the right to education connects to the right to bodily autonomy, economic security, and political participation. This concept invites practitioners to map how rights denial operates across domains and to assert comprehensive claims for dignity and self-determination. Rather than pursuing single-issue rights advocacy, intersectional rights practice recognizes how oppressions interconnect and builds coalitions across movements. It also challenges narrow rights frameworks that center individual legal claims without addressing structural transformation. Sor Juana's life demonstrates that asserting the right to think, speak, and exist on one's own terms is foundational to all other rights claiming. Building intersectional rights practice means connecting struggles and supporting comprehensive human dignity.