1. Originally from
Is Science Multicultural?: Postcolonialisms, Feminisms, and Epistemologies
published 1998
Read in Just Methods

2.  Earned her PhD in Philosophy from NYU
 Her teaching and research interests are in
feminist and postcolonial theory, epistemology,
research methodology and philosophy of
science
 Professor in the Education Department, Gender
Studies, and in the Social Sciences and
Comparative Education Division at UCLA
 Most recent book: Postcolonial Science and
Technology Studies Reader 2011

3.  Was the editor of Signs
 Taught University of Delaware
 Held international teaching positions

4.  The critique of internalist epistemology lead to a
“crisis”
 Two strategies for solving this crisis are
problematic, according to Harding:
 Respond to some criticism, dismiss others, but
doesn’t really move from its internalist form
 Agree with internalist epistemology, but the only
solution is to abandon epistemological projects and
substitute with “sciences” of natural and social
sciences “for epistemologies of science”
 322-33

5.  Standpoint epistemologies:
 Important resources can be found when starting
projects from issues in women’s lives, not dominant
“androcentric conceptual frameworks”
▪ Political (racism, classism, colonialism) and cultural (Catholic,
Navajo) locations are both important, and though distinct,
are inter-relational
▪ Standpoint of a particular marginalized group illuminates
more complete and clear conceptual frameworks
▪ The standpoint of a group must be determined by “empirical
observation and theoretical reflection” 333 (
▪ A standpoint: an objective position in social relations through
a theory or discourse

6.  Knowledge and politics are at the center of it
 Outlines “logic of discovery” to maximize the
objectivity of research results in order to
produce knowledge for marginalized people
and their allies
▪ 335

7.  Hegel: master/slave narrative
 Marx, Engle, Lukas: proletariat narrative
 1970’s feminist narrative: adopted from Marx
to an extent structural/symbolic gender
relations affected knowledge production p.
333
 Feminist epistemology: situated knowledge,
relates to this:
 Harraway: political, non essentialist
 GunnAllen: interdisciplinary (literature, history,
etc.) cultural and political

8.  Strengths:
 Accounts for intersectionality of experiences, whether
personal or in the disciplines
 Non-essentialist
 Acknowledges broad problematic frameworks , an
makes a nod to the personal/communal within these
larger frameworks
 Weaknesses:
 “They try to substitute ‘sciences’ of natural …for
epistemologies of science” 333
 Discounts people’s stories? 337

9.  In which disciplines have you
observed/practiced standpoint
epistemologies? How were they practiced?
 How do you understand Harding’s concept of
objectivity (not neutral)? How does
objectivity relate to standpoint epistemology,
according to Harding?
 How does Harding’s account of standpoint
epistemology relate to the other readings for
this week?