Abstract

Epistemic injustice (EI) constitutes a type of discrimination that, while in principle can affect any individual, manifests predominantly against those associated with marginalized groups. It is based on the premise that theorizing about EI, along with related concepts—such as cognitive injustice, for example—can serve to elucidate various forms of oppression. When examining the academic discourse surrounding EI, it can be observed that valuable proposals have been made by various scholars in the field; however, research has primarily focused on delineating and providing practical content to the concept by revealing its multiple manifestations. There remains a notable absence of a theoretical framework that provides an exhaustive classification or at least allows for the articulation of the varied forms in which the phenomenon occurs. The present study, grounded in an extensive review of works addressing typologies and approaches to understanding the phenomenon, seeks to contribute to closing this gap. In this regard, an expanded conceptual proposal of EI is presented—originating in the access, production, and reproduction of knowledge—which culminates in a categorization that, while encompassing the varieties of EI identified in the literature, is presented as an open framework, with the explicit intention and aspiration that it may also accommodate any further manifestation of the phenomenon that might be revealed in other investigations. For these purposes, the epistemic transaction has been conceptualized as the central process around which the various manifestations of EI occur, and consequently, pre-transactional, transactional, and post-transactional injustice are proposed as primary categories.

Key words:
social epistemology; epistemic transactions; hermeneutical injustice; testimonial injustice; cognitive injustice; ethics