TOWARDS EPISTEMIC JUSTICE: DECONSTRUCTING GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE FROM A SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVE
Keywords:
epistemic justice, decolonization of knowledge, Global South, local knowledge, Western domination, academic inequality
Abstract
This article critically examines the dominance of Western epistemology in global knowledge production and its impact on the marginalization of local knowledge in the Global South. Using the frameworks of decolonizing knowledge and epistemic justice, it investigates how global academic structures perpetuate inequalities in the validation, distribution, and legitimation of knowledge. The research identifies several key challenges to epistemic independence, including intellectual dependency, the marginalization of indigenous knowledge, language barriers, infrastructure limitations, and internal fragmentation. In response, the article proposes decolonial strategies such as curriculum reform, strengthening local research institutions, fostering South–South collaboration, and advocating for policies that recognize diverse epistemologies. The objective is to create a more equitable, inclusive global knowledge ecosystem that reflects the social realities of the Global South.
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References
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Demeter, M. (2020). Academic Knowledge Production and the Global South Questioning Inequality and Under-representation. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52701-3
Doherty, S. (2016). The impact of translation technologies on the process and product of translation. International Journal of Communication, 10, 969.
Ehteshamnejad, E. (2023). Global Perspectives on Financing Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis. International Journal of Innovation Management and Organizational Behavior, 3, 42–50. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.ijimob.3.2.6
Freedom . Theory, Culture & Society, 26(7–8), 159–181. https://doi.org/10. University Press.
Fricker, M. (2007). Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing. Oxford
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Gauttam, P., Singh, B., Singh, S., Bika, S. L., & Tiwari, R. P. (2024). Education as a soft power resource: A systematic review. Heliyon, 10(1), e23736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23736
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Jorgensen, M. (2018). Equilibrium & Fragmentation in the International Rule of Law: The Rising Chinese Geolegal Order. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3283626
Kumar, S. (2025). The Ethics of Gatekeepers in Innovation: “Main Bhi Chowkidar” – Redefining Responsibility and Collaboration".
Lam, D., Hinz, E., Lang, D., Tengö, M., von Wehrden, H., & Martín-López, B. (2020). Indigenous and local knowledge in sustainability transformations research: A literature review. ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY, 25. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11305-250103
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Marginson, S., Cantwell, B., Platonova, D., & Smolentseva, A. (2023). Assessing the Contributions of Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035307173
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Masango, C., & Mbarika, V. (2022). Indigenous knowledge application in increasing food security: A measure to consider? Inkanyiso, 14. https://doi.org/10.4102/ink.v14i1.20
Masenya, T. (2022). Decolonization of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in South Africa: International Journal of Knowledge Management, 18, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJKM.310005
McConkey, J. (2004). Knowledge and Acknowledgement: “Epistemic Injustice” as a Problem of Recognition1. Politics, 24, 198–205. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9256.2004.00220.x
Melash, A., Bogale, A., Migbaru, A., Chakilu, G., Percze, A., Ábrahám, É., & Mengistu, D. K. (2023). Indigenous agricultural knowledge: A neglected human based resource for sustainable crop protection and production. Heliyon, 9, e12978. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e12978
Mignolo, W.D. (2009). Epistemic disobedience, independent thought and decoloniality 1177/0263276409349275
Mondal, S., & Palit, D. (2021). Challenges in natural resource management for ecological sustainability. In Natural Resources Conservation and Advances for Sustainability (pp. 29–53). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822976-7.00004-1
Mustonen, T., Harper, S., Pecl, G., Castan Broto, V., Lansbury, N., Okem, A., Ayanlade, S., Ayanlade, A., & Dawson, J. (2022). The Role of Indigenous Knowledge and Local Knowledge in Understanding and Adapting to Climate Change.
Nguyen, K., Cao, T., Nguyen-Duong, B.-T., & Huynh, S. (2024). Influence of global university rankings on strategic decisions at Ho Chi Minh City university of education in balancing global competitiveness and local educational goals. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8, 2025124. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025124
Nhemachena, A., Mawere, M., & Mubaya, T.R. (2016). Theory, Knowledge, Development and Politics: What Role for the Academy in the Sustainability of Africa? Langaa RPCIG.
Noda, O. (2020). Epistemic hegemony: the Western straitjacket and post-colonial scars in academic publishing. Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional, 63. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7329202000107
Pratt, B., & Vries, J. (2023). Where is knowledge from the global South? An account of epistemic justice for a global bioethics. Journal of Medical Ethics, 49, medethics-2022. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2022-108291
Quijano, A. (2000). Coloniality of power and Eurocentrism in Latin America. International Sociology, 15(2), 215–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580900015002005
Rai, S., & Mishra, P. (2023). Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Resource Management: A Conceptual Framework (pp. 1–11). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16840-6_1
Roue, M., & Nakashima, D. (2018). Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Science: From Validation to Knowledge Coproduction. 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118924396.wbiea2215
Santos, B. de S. (2014). Epistemologies of the South: Justice Against Epistemicide (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315634876
Santos, B. de S. (2014). Epistemologies of the South and Human Rights: Santos and the Quest for Global and Cognitive Justice. Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 21(2), 395–413
Sarmiento, P., & Singh, G. B. (2021). JustEd : Education as and for environmental , epistemic and transitional justice Exploring epistemic justice in educational research Background paper.
Shome, R. (2019). Thinking Culture and Cultural Studies—from/of the Global South. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 16, 196–218. https://doi.org/10.1080/14791420.2019.1648841
Studley, J. (1998). Dominant Knowledge Systems & Local Knowledge.
Tandon, R., & Singh, W. (2016). Knowledge and Engagement: Building Capacity for the Next Generation of Community Based Researchers. UNESCO Chair.
Tanskanen, K., Ahola, T., Aminoff, A., Bragge, J., Kaipia, R., & Kauppi, K. (2017). Towards evidence-based management of external resources: Developing design propositions and future research avenues through research synthesis. Research Policy, 46(6), 1087–1105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.04.002
UNESCO. (2021). UNESCO Science Report: The Race Against Time for Smarter Development. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377433
Werquin, P. (2010). Recognising Non-Formal and Informal Learning: Outcomes, Policies and Practices. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264063853-en
Anderson, J. (2015). Indigenous Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.64078-3
Andreotti, V. (2011). Actionable postcolonial theory in education. Palgrave Macmillan
Bawa, A. (2009). Academic Freedom and Emerging Research Universities. Social Research: An International Quarterly, 76, 481–508. https://doi.org/10.1353/sor.2009.0042
Battiste, M. (2002). Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy in First Nations education: A literature review with recommendations. Ottawa: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
Berkes, F., Colding, J., & Folke, C. (2000). Rediscovery of Traditional Ecological Knowledge as Adaptive Management. Ecological Applications, 5, 1251–1252. https://doi.org/10.2307/2641280
Connell, R. (2007). Southern theory: The global dynamics of knowledge in social science. Polity Press.
Curry, M., & Lillis, T. (2015). The Dominance of English in Global Scholarly Publishing. International Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.6017/ihe.2007.46.7948
da Silva, C., Pereira, F., & Amorim, J. P. (2023). The integration of indigenous knowledge in school: a systematic review. Compare. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2023.2184200
Demeter, M. (2020). Academic Knowledge Production and the Global South Questioning Inequality and Under-representation. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52701-3
Doherty, S. (2016). The impact of translation technologies on the process and product of translation. International Journal of Communication, 10, 969.
Ehteshamnejad, E. (2023). Global Perspectives on Financing Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis. International Journal of Innovation Management and Organizational Behavior, 3, 42–50. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.ijimob.3.2.6
Freedom . Theory, Culture & Society, 26(7–8), 159–181. https://doi.org/10. University Press.
Fricker, M. (2007). Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing. Oxford
Gaus, N., & Hall, D. (2016). Performance Indicators in Indonesian Universities: The Perception of Academics. Higher Education Quarterly, 70, n/a-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12085
Gauttam, P., Singh, B., Singh, S., Bika, S. L., & Tiwari, R. P. (2024). Education as a soft power resource: A systematic review. Heliyon, 10(1), e23736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23736
Gueye, A., Choi, E., Guzmán-Valenzuela, C., & Gregorutti, G. (2022). Global South Research Collaboration. International Journal of African Higher Education, 9, 63–82. https://doi.org/10.6017/ijahe.v9i3.16045
ILO. (2009). Collective bargaining: Negotiating for social justice. In High-level Tripartite Meeting on Collective Bargaining, 19-20 November 2009 (Issue November).
International Association of Universities. (2022). World Higher Education Database. Retrieved from https://www.whed.net
Jakobsen, K., Mikalsen, M., & Lilleng, G. (2023). A literature review of smart technology domains with implications for research on smart rural communities. Technology in Society, 75(October), 102397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102397
Jorgensen, M. (2018). Equilibrium & Fragmentation in the International Rule of Law: The Rising Chinese Geolegal Order. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3283626
Kumar, S. (2025). The Ethics of Gatekeepers in Innovation: “Main Bhi Chowkidar” – Redefining Responsibility and Collaboration".
Lam, D., Hinz, E., Lang, D., Tengö, M., von Wehrden, H., & Martín-López, B. (2020). Indigenous and local knowledge in sustainability transformations research: A literature review. ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY, 25. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11305-250103
Lor, P. (2022). Scholarly publishing and peer review in the Global South: the role of the reviewer. JLIS.It, 14, 10–29. https://doi.org/10.36253/jlis.it-512
Marginson, S., Cantwell, B., Platonova, D., & Smolentseva, A. (2023). Assessing the Contributions of Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035307173
Marginson, S., & Xu, X. (2022). Hegemony and Inequality in Global Science: Problems of the Center-Periphery Model. Comparative Education Review, 67, 0. https://doi.org/10.1086/722760
Masango, C., & Mbarika, V. (2022). Indigenous knowledge application in increasing food security: A measure to consider? Inkanyiso, 14. https://doi.org/10.4102/ink.v14i1.20
Masenya, T. (2022). Decolonization of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in South Africa: International Journal of Knowledge Management, 18, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJKM.310005
McConkey, J. (2004). Knowledge and Acknowledgement: “Epistemic Injustice” as a Problem of Recognition1. Politics, 24, 198–205. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9256.2004.00220.x
Melash, A., Bogale, A., Migbaru, A., Chakilu, G., Percze, A., Ábrahám, É., & Mengistu, D. K. (2023). Indigenous agricultural knowledge: A neglected human based resource for sustainable crop protection and production. Heliyon, 9, e12978. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e12978
Mignolo, W.D. (2009). Epistemic disobedience, independent thought and decoloniality 1177/0263276409349275
Mondal, S., & Palit, D. (2021). Challenges in natural resource management for ecological sustainability. In Natural Resources Conservation and Advances for Sustainability (pp. 29–53). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822976-7.00004-1
Mustonen, T., Harper, S., Pecl, G., Castan Broto, V., Lansbury, N., Okem, A., Ayanlade, S., Ayanlade, A., & Dawson, J. (2022). The Role of Indigenous Knowledge and Local Knowledge in Understanding and Adapting to Climate Change.
Nguyen, K., Cao, T., Nguyen-Duong, B.-T., & Huynh, S. (2024). Influence of global university rankings on strategic decisions at Ho Chi Minh City university of education in balancing global competitiveness and local educational goals. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8, 2025124. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025124
Nhemachena, A., Mawere, M., & Mubaya, T.R. (2016). Theory, Knowledge, Development and Politics: What Role for the Academy in the Sustainability of Africa? Langaa RPCIG.
Noda, O. (2020). Epistemic hegemony: the Western straitjacket and post-colonial scars in academic publishing. Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional, 63. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7329202000107
Pratt, B., & Vries, J. (2023). Where is knowledge from the global South? An account of epistemic justice for a global bioethics. Journal of Medical Ethics, 49, medethics-2022. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2022-108291
Quijano, A. (2000). Coloniality of power and Eurocentrism in Latin America. International Sociology, 15(2), 215–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580900015002005
Rai, S., & Mishra, P. (2023). Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Resource Management: A Conceptual Framework (pp. 1–11). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16840-6_1
Roue, M., & Nakashima, D. (2018). Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Science: From Validation to Knowledge Coproduction. 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118924396.wbiea2215
Santos, B. de S. (2014). Epistemologies of the South: Justice Against Epistemicide (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315634876
Santos, B. de S. (2014). Epistemologies of the South and Human Rights: Santos and the Quest for Global and Cognitive Justice. Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 21(2), 395–413
Sarmiento, P., & Singh, G. B. (2021). JustEd : Education as and for environmental , epistemic and transitional justice Exploring epistemic justice in educational research Background paper.
Shome, R. (2019). Thinking Culture and Cultural Studies—from/of the Global South. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 16, 196–218. https://doi.org/10.1080/14791420.2019.1648841
Studley, J. (1998). Dominant Knowledge Systems & Local Knowledge.
Tandon, R., & Singh, W. (2016). Knowledge and Engagement: Building Capacity for the Next Generation of Community Based Researchers. UNESCO Chair.
Tanskanen, K., Ahola, T., Aminoff, A., Bragge, J., Kaipia, R., & Kauppi, K. (2017). Towards evidence-based management of external resources: Developing design propositions and future research avenues through research synthesis. Research Policy, 46(6), 1087–1105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.04.002
UNESCO. (2021). UNESCO Science Report: The Race Against Time for Smarter Development. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377433
Werquin, P. (2010). Recognising Non-Formal and Informal Learning: Outcomes, Policies and Practices. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264063853-en
Published
2025-05-30
How to Cite
Badruddin, S., Halim, P., & P, S. A. K. (2025). TOWARDS EPISTEMIC JUSTICE: DECONSTRUCTING GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE FROM A SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVE. Journal of Social Political Sciences, 6(2), 180-195. https://doi.org/10.52166/jsps.v6i2.310
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Articles
Copyright (c) 2025 Syamsiyah Badrudin, Paisal Halim, Suci Ayu Kurniah P
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
