Conceptualizations of Knowledge and Its Influence on Sense of Belonging among BBIWOC Scholars

• In Event: Critical Epistemologies and Methodologies: Reclaiming Knowledge, Story, and Belonging Across Educational Spaces

Abstract

As a result of dominant epistemological paradigms, scholarship and research that prioritize marginalized perspectives on knowledge are often overlooked and devalued outside of specialized discourse, such as feminist and critical race studies. Therefore, this study critiques traditional knowledge paradigms by exploring the central research question: In what ways, if any, do conceptualizations of knowledge in academia influence sense of belonging in higher education among Black, Brown, Indigenous and other Women of Color during their doctoral studies? To answer this question, participants and researcher, together, will consider broader philosophical questions related to underlying perceptions of knowledge. By critiquing traditional knowledge paradigms, this study creates space for reimagining how knowledge is conceptualized and supports efforts to transform institutions into more equitable environments.

Author

• Bethany Parker, University of Tennessee