Epistemic Injustice and Collective Wrongdoing: Introduction to Special Issue

Abstract

In this introduction to the special issue "Epistemic Injustice and CollectiveWrongdoing" we show how the eight contributions examine the collective dimensions of epistemic injustice. First, we contextualize the articles within theories of epistemic injustice. Second, we provide an overview of the eight articles by highlighting three central topics addressed by them: i) the effects of epistemic injustice and collective wrongdoing, ii) the underlying epistemic structures in collective wrongdoing, unjust relations and unjust societies, and iii) the remedies and strategies of resistance to epistemic injustice. We close by pointing to connections and issues that may motivate further research.Epistemic injustice is often discussed with respect to individuals. But it is not limited to individuals. Most often, individuals experience epistemic injustice because they are members of particular groups and these groups, in turn, also experience epistemic injustice. Indigenous peoples experiencing radical testimonial injustice and hermeneutical injustice in their interaction with courts, prison inmates having their emergency calls systematically silenced, Armenian testimony about the Armenian genocide being oppressed -these are but some instances in which groups experience collective epistemic injustice. The authors in this special issue on Epistemic Injustice and Collective Wrongdoing examine these collective dimensions of epistemic injustice. Their works evince that we cannot fully understand some of the collective wrongdoing that groups experience unless we employ the conceptual tools of theories of epistemic injustice and affiliated theories. Notably, theories of epistemic injustice are not limited to Miranda Fricker's (2007) powerful account of epistemic injustice and its two basic forms, testimonial and hermeneutical injustice, but include further accounts and re-

Exploring Mutated Depictions of Rapes and Justice Distrust in Contemporary Indian Cinema

“…When powerful people give marginalized groups a lesser epistemic position or credibility, they perpetuate structural hermeneutical injustice. Thus, their contributions to public debate on specific practices and experiences are ignored (Altanian, El Kassar, 2021). Snags include encountering unsupportive police officers, undergoing insensitive forensic exams, experiencing a dearth of counselling services, encountering substandard police investigations, and facing inadequate prosecutions within the judicial system.…”

Acid attacks and epistemic (in)justice: Violence, everyday resistance and hermeneutical responsibilities in the Indian Hindi film Chhapaak

“…The instances mentioned above involving Malti, Pinky, and other girls who have suffered from acid attacks serve as notable examples that illustrate how “collective wrongdoing” (Altanian & El Kassar, 2021) extends beyond just bodily or psychological damage but also incorporates distinct epistemic harms. Instances of acid attacks are frequently accompanied by “wilful hermeneutical ignorance” (Pohlhaus, 2012).…”

“…Instances of acid attacks are frequently accompanied by “wilful hermeneutical ignorance” (Pohlhaus, 2012). Moreover, unlike institutional epistemic injustice, these attacks give rise to a form of structural hermeneutical injustice that is marked by a collective prejudice against certain identities that operates within the hermeneutical resources available to society (Altanian & El Kassar, 2021; Fricker, 2007, p. 155). In such a situation, Malti showcases her assertiveness by actively working together with Amol Dwivedi and other acid survivors in Amol's NGO.…”

Taking Seriously Campus Debates Surrounding Invited Speakers: Open-Mindedness and the Ethics of Inquiry in Higher Education

“…Mirroring the mentioned movements in epistemology, philosophical work on the ethics of inquiry can also be divided into traditional individualistic accounts, and social or collective accounts. Various accounts of epistemic injustice and oppression center epistemic harms caused by individuals and by collective agents (Altanian & El Kassar, 2021;Kidd et al, 2017), and epistemic virtues may be conceived at each of these levels. On the one hand are the conceptions of epistemic virtues that predominate virtue epistemology, which are abstracted away from social context, and on the other are more recent theories from social epistemology, which consider the impact of social conditions on our understanding of individual epistemic virtues and theorize epistemic virtues of collective agents.…”