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Published:
Dec 9, 2023Keywords:
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Science and language, knowledge and power
Kirstin Wilmot
Mehita Iqani
Nkosinathi Madondo
Abstract
Significance:
All scientific knowledge is encoded in socially constructed forms of communication with language being the primary mode. When language is understood as a socio-cultural practice and a resource for meaning-making, it has significant implications for how we understand knowledge-building in disciplines and the inherent power relationships that are created in the way we use language to construct different kinds of knowledge and position knowledge in the field. It also has implications for how we share and validate knowledge with and to others. If science is to be used for social justice, understanding science communication necessitates considerations of language, knowledge and power.
