Counter-Hegemonic Epistemologies as Innovation and/or Contestation - I

Abstract

Resistance to dominant modes of thinking, knowing, and doing can take a variety of forms– and often results in the production of new epistemological communities of practice. The counter-hegemonic epistemologies of conspiracy theorists, self-experimenters, citizen scientists, marginalized and oppressed communities, and members of many other knowledge domains frequently embody narratives and ways of knowing that run against the dominant paradigms of their social and historical contexts. Thomas Kuhn’s work on paradigm shifts is just one example of the turmoil around shifts in dominant scientific epistemology. In many cases, critical or disruptive epistemologies are met by those in power with skepticism and even fear.

This open panel calls for case studies addressing counter-hegemonic epistemologies in the fields of history of science and technology, as well as STS, information studies, education, media studies, and other relevant disciplines. We are particularly interested in research that brings a comparative historical perspective to bear on the continuously contested nature of dominant knowledge systems. Some points to consider could be: how have specific counter-narratives affected the dominant discourses in the fields that they challenge? Alternatively, how do dominant discourses overpower counter-hegemonic epistemologies? What kinds of contexts does this happen in, and what are the social, political, and historical implications of such contestation? We welcome submissions that address communities including but not limited to alternative education, decolonial science and technology, clandestine chemistry, whistleblowing, harm reduction, and radical politics. By bringing such disparate ways of knowing into contact, our panel aims to build towards a robust account of the innovation and contestation that prevail among counter-hegemonic epistemological communities.

Chair

• James A Hodges, Rutgers University

Individual Presentations

• Alternative Narratives of Computer Hacking - Daniela Albini Pinheiro, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP

• Formalism and Freedom: How Standardized Contracts Counter Traditional Contract Doctrine - Kristin Breanne Cornelius, Department of Information Studies, UCLA

• Technological Aspects of Counter-Hegemony: An Ethnographical Case Study of Institute of Cryptoanarchy in Prague, Czech Republic - Anna Adamowicz, Institute of Philosophy, Adam Mickiewicz University

• Silences, Imaginaries, Ethics, and Mistrust: Identifying and Interacting with Suspicious Researchers in Archives - Yvonne Melisande Eadon, UCLA

Session Organizer

• James A Hodges, Rutgers University