Turning away from epistemic violence by capturing a lived experience of the other

Abstract

We agree with Held’s (2020) arguments for establishing a research practice that prevents numerous forms of othering in mainstream psychological research, which is essentially derived from omitting concepts embedded in the lived experience of the other. However, we believe those arguments are not yet sufficient for fulfilling the true potential of such research practice. In this discussion, we focus on accessing a lived experience of the other as a means of preventing epistemic violence that contributes to the oppression of othered people. We suggest that researchers broaden their psychological perspective that detaches concepts and theories from personal experience. To truly meet the other, the narrative approach offers promising potential, as it captures an individual’s lived experience and subjective perspective. Finally, we stress the pivotal role of social interaction in concept and folk theory formation, which is necessary to implement Held’s postulations for Indigenous psychology.

Systemic vulnerability: Towards a theoretical framework for identifying institutional failures that violate rights

“…Nevertheless, the concept of EV requires a more robust ethical basis. Some authors have worked on fostering this concept (Gut & Wilczewski, 2020; Held, 2020; Hinton, 2020). In an ethical sense, as part of an ethics of consequences, the concept demands clarifying the criteria by which the effects of scientific research on others are judged.…”

Theoretical proposal for the relationship between epistemology and ethics in psychology

“…Gut and Wilczewski (2020) present a methodological project based on the narrative approach to researching intercultural communicative experiences and processes. The authors argue that the narrative approach allows access to the lived experience and subjectivity of the Other to the extent thatthe narrator’s lived experience and cultural perspective may be captured through a narrative analysis of their personal story by disclosing sense-making and sense-giving processes, and identity construction processes.…”

“…Gonzalez and Guimarães (2020), Gut and Wilczewski (2020), and Hinton (2020) are developing an alternative to objectivist psychology based on approaches of cultural psychology. Gonzalez and Guimarães (2020) present a psychology made with the Other guided by the Bakhtinian coauthorship notion, an alternative category of the division between from above and from below which was criticized by Held (2020).…”