Recognition, Epistemic (In)justice and Critical Training in Information Science

Abstract

This paper analyzes how symbolic forms of recognition — such as epigraphs, acknowledgments, obituaries, eponyms, tributes, and reviews — convey institutional and epistemological values and can be critically integrated into education in Library and Information Science (LIS). The hypothesis is that these forms influence both prestige dynamics and the ways science is taught and learned. This is a theoretical and qualitative study that proposes incorporating scientific recognition into critical education through pedagogical strategies and content that foster reflection on authority, exclusion, and epistemic injustice. The theoretical framework draws on the symbolic dimensions of recognition (Merton; Bourdieu), debates on epistemic injustice (Fricker; Harding; Collins), and critical educational perspectives (Freire; bell hooks; Kincheloe). As a partial result, an analytical framework was developed with symbolic categories and pedagogical suggestions to support critical reflection on mechanisms of consecration and exclusion in science. These practices aim to expand students’ conceptual and affective repertoires and foster educational pathways more attuned to epistemic inequalities. It is concluded that recognition can serve as a relevant formative vector, contributing to curricula committed to cognitive justice and the appreciation of historically marginalized knowledge.