Towards a critical realist epistemology?

• Published in: Journal for the theory of social behaviour Vol. 50; no. 3; pp. 357 - 372
• Main Authors: Albert, Katelin, Brundage, Jonah Stuart, Sweet, Paige, Vandenberghe, Frédéric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2020
• Subjects: Case studies; Critical realism; Epistemology; Feminism; Feminist theory; Knowledge; ontology; postcolonial theory; Postcolonialism; Radicalism; Realism; Relativism; Social epistemology; Social power; Social relations; standpoint theory; Subaltern identities; Truth
• ISSN: 0021-8308; 1468-5914
• DOI: 10.1111/jtsb.12248

When critical realists consider epistemology they typically start from “epistemological relativism.” We find this position necessary, but we also find it insufficient because it lacks a critique of the highly unequal social relations among observers themselves—relations that shape the very production of knowledge. While it is indeed the case that all knowledge is fallible, it is also the case that all knowledge is positioned, with a particular standpoint. What is more, the social power relations between standpoints organize the production of truth in ways that produce systematic distortions. In this paper, we propose a critical realist social epistemology. We introduce feminist standpoint theory and postcolonial theory as our suggested interventions into critical realism and we use two case studies of existing work to highlight i) the social production of truth and the real, and ii) what is at stake for radicalizing epistemology in critical realism. In so doing, our paper emphasizes the epistemic complexities that continuously shape ontology, a commitment to subaltern voices or experiences, and a thorough interrogation of the relations between positions of knowledge production.