Universities and Epistemic Justice in a Plural World: Knowing Better (Debating Higher Education: Philosophical Perspectives Book 12)

This book explains why universities, and academics within them, must engage with the diversity of knowledges and knowers that exist in the world. Through philosophical perspectives, theoretical frameworks and practical examples from around the world, the book searches for opportunities for renewal and inclusion in universities. It explains how higher education can better serve the purposes of social justice by re-evaluating the types of knowledge it promotes. Going beyond the identification and analysis of injustices in ways of knowing in academia, the book offers insights and examples of practices in teaching, research and work with the community which aim to move towards justice on an epistemic level. It argues that inclusion in the domain of knowledge can lead to the generation of knowledges and understandings that are more robust and better equipped to address the pressing needs of the plural worlds outside the university. Contributions are included from authors working in varied disciplinary and cultural contexts in universities, who describe and explicate their work towards identifying epistemic injustice and finding spaces to advance knowledge justice in theory and in practice. The book will be beneficial to academics and those with an interest in the role of universities in serving the public good. About the Editor and Acknowledgements Contents Contributors List of Figures Introduction 1 Universities and Justice 2 Knowing Better and the Ethical Imperative 3 Understandings of Justice in Higher Education 4 A ‘Non-Ideal’ Approach to Justice 5 Plurality 6 Theoretical Positions on Epistemic Justice 7 A Note on Terminology 7.1 Global North and Global South 7.2 Universities and Higher Education 7.3 Indigenous Peoples 8 Intended Readership 9 Structure of the Book 9.1 Part I: Knowledge and Justice in Higher Education 9.2 Parts II and III 9.3 Part II: Epistemic Justice in Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 9.4 Part III: Research and Epistemic Justice References Part I: Knowledge and Justice in Higher Education What and Who Is the University for? 1 Introduction 2 The University to Promote Economic Growth 2.1 What Type of Knowledge? 2.2 In Whose Interests? 3 The University as a Business 3.1 What Type of Knowledge? 3.2 In Whose Interests? 4 The University for Research and Scholarship 4.1 In Whose Interests? 5 A Reconceptualisation of the University 6 Justice as Recognition 6.1 Young’s Theory of Justice as Recognition of Identity Group Difference 6.2 Honneth’s Theory of Justice as Recognition of the Person 6.3 Justice as Recognition and the Domain of Knowledge 6.4 Epistemic Justice as Recognition 7 A University for Epistemic Justice 8 The University as a Public Sphere of Recognition 9 Epistemic Plurality 10 A Polycentric Model of the University 11 Conclusion References Approaches to Epistemic Justice 1 Introduction 2 What Is Epistemology and Why Does It Matter? 3 Two Approaches to Epistemic Justice 4 Miranda Fricker’s Theory of Epistemic Injustice 4.1 Testimonial Injustice 4.2 Hermeneutical Injustice 5 Cognitive Justice and Epistemologies of the South 5.1 Ecologies of Knowledges 6 Epistemic Contribution 6.1 Merit, Expertise and Epistemic Contribution 6.2 Stakeholders as Epistemic Contributors and Co-producers 7 Conclusion References Knowledge in the University 1 Introduction 2 Types of Knowledge in Higher Education 2.1 Knowledge in the Arts and Humanities 2.2 Epistemological and Methodological Unity of the Arts and Humanities 2.3 Critical Praxis-Based Knowledge 2.4 A Critical Epistemology of Praxis 2.5 Decolonising the Curriculum 3 Conclusion References Part II: Epistemic Justice in Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment Introduction to Part II Curricular Justice Influence Beyond the University References Art, Prejudice and Privilege: Disciplinary Elitism, Students from Working-Class Communities and Epistemic Justice 1 Introduction 2 Good at Art But Stupid 3 Epistemic Arrogance, Epistemic Confidence, Resistance and Aesthetic Estrangement 4 Going Up, Looking Down: Social Climbing and the Narrative of Class Deficit 5 The Pressure to Pass and Epistemic Lack 6 Visual Acuity and Epistemic Confidence 7 The Oppressive Realities of Class and the Elite Status of the Artist 8 ‘There is Nothing of Beauty in This Work, Nothing That Would Merit My Attention’ 9 A Situated Curriculum or ‘I Don’t Know Who’s More Excited About This Essay, Me or My Dad’ 10 Class Beyond Deficit, or Taking the Estate Onto Campus References Rural Students and Science: Curricular Justice, Epistemic Justice and Epistemic Freedom 1 Introduction 2 Structure 3 Epistemic Justice, Epistemic Freedom and Coloniality 4 Curricular Justice and Epistemic Reciprocity 5 Context of the Study 5.1 Historical and Political Context of the Study 5.2 Rural Context in South Africa 5.3 Institutional Context 6 The Study 6.1 The Student-Researchers 6.2 Diagnostic Assessment 6.3 Discourses 6.4 Developing Scientific Concepts 7 Conclusion References Epistemic Justice in Classroom Dialogues: Coming to Know the ‘Other’ with Non-western Epistemological Lenses 1 Complexity in Classroom Dialogues 1.1 The Cultural Dimension of Dialogue 2 Non-western Epistemology 3 Japanese Cultural Concepts as Epistemological Tools 4 Classroom Dialogues and Epistemic Justice 5 Key Takeaways 6 Conclusion References Beyond Epistemic Boundaries: International Students and Educational Leadership in Its Cultural Complexity 1 Introduction 2 Background 3 Genealogical Sensibility 4 History of Leadership Concepts as Decontextualised 5 Decolonising Leadership Towards Epistemic Justice 6 Leadership as Social Practice 7 Conclusion References Epistemic Justice and Authentic Assessment 1 Introduction 2 Santos: Epistemologies of the South and Reframing Our Focus on Communities, Cultures and Places 3 Bernstein: Knowledge Legitimation and Transformation 4 Fricker: Testimonial and Hermeneutical Injustice 5 Discussion and Conclusion References Part III: Research and Epistemic Justice Introduction to Part III Research Approaches Impact in Research References Wâhkôhtowin (a Kinship) of the Indigenous Episteme, Circlework and Epistemic Justice in Indigenous Research 1 Introduction 2 How Did We End Up Here? Education as a Source of Indigenous Knowledge Suppression 2.1 Indian Residential Schools 3 Epistemology, Indigenous Epistemology, Epistemic Injustice 3.1 Indigenous Epistemology, Story, Testimony 4 Fricker’s Epistemic Injustice Framework and Kuoukanen’s Epistemic Ignorance 5 Circlework as Testimonial Practice in Indigenous Research 6 Indigenous Testimonial Practice 7 Hermeneutical and Testimonial Justice Can Happen Anywhere 8 Indigenous Circlework in Indigenous Research 9 Testimony, Credibility Ranking and Circlework 10 Research Training Has a Role 11 The Age of Innocence 12 The 4Rs in Service of Epistemic Justice for Indigenous Research References Hermeneutical Justice in an International Erasmus Mundus Research Project 1 Introduction 2 Structure of the Chapter 3 International Research and Forms of Knowledge 4 The Coloniality of Knowledge 5 Hermeneutical Justice in Collaborative Research 6 The Role of Individual Agency 7 Working Towards Hermeneutical Justice in Practice: The Context 8 A Participatory and Dialogic Approach to the Research 8.1 The Participatory Methods 8.2 The Dialogic Approach and Processes 9 The Strategic Planning Meeting 10 Preparation and Aims 11 Our Approach in Practice 11.1 First Step: Articulating the Latest Thinking and Practice of the Social Economy in the Partners’ Countries 11.2 Second Step: Exploring Our Commonalities and Differences Based on the Presentations 11.3 Third Step: Identifying the Criteria of Social Economy Organisations to Include in the Study 11.4 Fourth Step: Co-designing the Handbook Structure and Content 12 Conclusion 13 Personal Reflections References Weaving Words: Dialogue Between the Academy and the Community 1 The Intersecting Roles of Chilean Universities and Their Impact on Communities 2 The Context of the Mapuce People and Their Way of Creating Knowledge 3 The Participative Turn in Latin American Research 4 Dialogic-Kishu Kimkelay Ta Che Research: A Bridge Between the Western Dialogical and Mapuce Epistemes 5 Knowledge Constructing Practices: Weaving Worlds 6 Challenges and Successes to Date 7 Closing Thoughts References Conclusion Knowing Better: The Challenge for Universities 1 Knowing Better in Teaching, Research and Outreach 2 The Challenge for University Leaders References Name Index Contents Index The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. 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