Onto-Epistemic Educational Injustice in Higher Education : Who Gets to Know, Who Gets to Be

Drawing from philosophy of education, decolonial thought, social epistemology and Japanese aesthetics, the book develops the concept of onto-epistemic educational injustice through theoretical analysis of how injustice in educational contexts, particularly higher education, operates at both epistemological and ontological levels.

Universities shape more than what students know. They shape who students can be and become. This book, therefore, examines how educational systems simultaneously shape knowledge production and ways of being. Drawing from philosophy of education, decolonial thought, social epistemology, and Japanese aesthetics, the book develops the concept of onto-epistemic educational injustice through theoretical analysis of how injustice in educational contexts, particularly higher education, operates at both epistemological and ontological levels. Unlike existing approaches that focus primarily on knowledge-related harms, the book demonstrates that educational experiences fundamentally shape both what students know and who they become. Through examination of language practices, academic conventions, and philosophical traditions such as the Japanese concept of ma (?), chapters consider how approaches to understanding educational injustice might engage more comprehensively with the intersection between knowing and being. Written across multiple registers—argument, narrative, and poetry—the author practises the intellectual plurality it advocates and experiments with what academic writing itself can become. The book will be of interest to scholars, students, and educators in the fields of philosophy, philosophy of education, critical theory, higher education, and sociology of education. Those working in student support services and academic advisors will also benefit from it.