Conceptualizing Epistemic Oppression in Three Dimensions

• In Event: The Epistemic Subject of Educational Authority

Abstract

This article aims to conceptualize epistemic oppression in three dimensions, building on the categorizing methods proposed by Dotson (2014) and Pohlhaus (2020). It starts with a brief introduction to Dotson’s (2014) philosophy of epistemic oppression. Continuing her discussion of third-order epistemic oppression, I elaborate on Sylvia Wynter's (1984; 2003) portrayal of Man and its epistemology for all. Furthermore, I analyze power relations in epistemic oppression from vertical directions, joining conversations of both Eurocentrism and feminist epistemology. I highlight the distinctions - the former focuses on systems, while the latter focuses on relationships for/among individuals. The final section integrates epistemic disobedience and feminist standpoint theory to envision practices that adopt a horizontal approach to epistemic oppression from epistemologies otherwise.

Author

• Yilin Wei, University of Minnesota