Epistemic Racism: Centering Black and Latina Women as Researchers and in Research

• In Event: Lightning Talk: Diversity and the Experiences of Black and Brown Folk in Criminology and at ASC

Abstract

The term “epistemology” is generally defined as the theory of knowledge, how knowledge is
produced, and the sources of knowledge. As researchers, our epistemologies translate into our
worldviews and influence how we do research. Traditionally, criminological research uplifts
positivist and postpositivist worldviews because of their focus on objectivity and impartiality.
Comparatively, researchers using more critical, transformative, or emancipatory worldviews are
often subjected to vehement critique and pushback because of their focus on subjectivity and
positionalities, social justice, advocacy, and activism. For Black and Latina scholars, pushback
becomes even more salient when conducting research on their own populations, despite their
underrepresentation in the criminology discipline and in criminological research. This often
results in Black and Latina women’s epistemologies being constructed as less credible or invalid,
leading us to believe that the discipline of criminology is suffering from an epistemic racism
problem. Using autoethnographic methods, this lighting talk will explore our positionalities as
minoritized women harmed by the criminal legal system, our positionalities as scholars and
experiences with epistemic racism, and how these experiences have informed our research.

Authors

• Kaelyn Sanders, Michigan State University

• Natalie Rivera, Michigan State University