Was Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz a feminist?

Yes, Mexican poet, dramatist, scholar, and Roman Catholic nun Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a feminist. One of her most important works is the manifesto Respuesta a sor Filotea de la Cruz (1691; “Reply to Sister Filotea of the Cross”), a passionate defense of women’s right to knowledge and education. Sor Juana penned it in response to a harsh critique of her work by Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz, the bishop of Puebla, who had written his letter under the pseudonym Sister Filotea. Sor Juana drew upon the example of learned women of biblical, Classical, and contemporary times to argue that women are entitled to private instruction. A famous quote from the Respuesta is “One can perfectly well philosophize while cooking supper.”