Epistemic Justice and Abolition: Examining Race in Digital Spaces

Background:

In recent years, the intersection of abolition, epistemic justice, and race has emerged as a critical area of inquiry. Abolition seeks to dismantle oppressive systems while promoting liberatory consciousness, while epistemic justice focuses on the recognition and rectification of epistemic harms; that is, those harms that are inflicted upon a person or a group specifically in relation to their knowledge, beliefs, or ways of knowing. Technology, particularly digital platforms, plays a significant role in shaping and perpetuating racial inequalities. This paper explores the theoretical connections between these concepts and proposes a framework for understanding and addressing their interplay.

Methods:

This conceptual paper draws on existing literature in the fields of abolition, epistemic justice, critical race theory, and digital studies. It synthesizes these diverse strands of scholarship to develop a nuanced understanding of how technology both reflects and reinforces racial hierarchies. By centering the experiences and perspectives of marginalized communities, this study aims to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the complexities of race and digital spaces and offers abolition as a framework for achieving epistemic justice.

Discussion and Implications:

Technology, specifically digital spaces can be both a tool for liberation and a mechanism of control and surveillance. By understanding the ways in which technology intersects with race and epistemic justice, scholars and activists can work towards more equitable and just futures. We argue for the importance of centering abolitionist and epistemically just practices in the design, implementation, and regulation of technology. It calls for a reimagining of technology as a tool for liberation, rather than oppression, and emphasizes the importance of collective action in challenging and transforming existing power structures.