Epistemic Justice in Classroom Dialogues: Coming to Know the ‘Other’ with Non-western Epistemological Lenses

Classroom dialogues can become an arena to reinforce and sustain social biases if we overlook the diverse epistemological lenses that students are using. For those who are from marginalised communities and families, this invisible dimension of classroom dialogues can become a major battle ground for their academic and social survival. For them, classroom dialogues can create double-bind situations where they get torn apart between two culturally different epistemologies – one that is valued in the classroom situation and one that they grew up with. This chapter uses Japanese cultural epistemology as an example to illuminate how students from non-Western cultural traditions can see the nature of classroom dialogues differently from traditional Western perspectives. The chapter points out the need to look into this invisible dimension of classroom dialogues and be mindful of the ways diverse students engage in classroom dialogues as it emphasises the goal of education as an activity to listen to the voice of the ‘other’.