Epistemic Injustice in Contemporary Orientalism: Wikipedia as a Tool of Orientalist Exclusionism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63939/JSS.2026-Vol10.N41.76-109Keywords:
Orientalist exclusionism, epistemic injustice, Wikipedia, epistemic justice, engaged counter-Orientalist scholarshipAbstract
Received: 29/08/2026, Accepted: 10/09/2026, Published: 12/09/2026
This study mobilizes the concept of epistemic injustice, as developed by English philosopher Miranda Fricker, to reinterpret contemporary Orientalist discourse through a renewed epistemological-ethical lens. It contends that representation of Arabs and Muslims by external voices inflicts a profound epistemic harm. In its modern iteration, Orientalism actively entrenches the exclusion of these communities from the spheres of knowledge production and self-representation. A case in point is Wikipedia: the so-called free encyclopedia plays a significant role in perpetuating Orientalist epistemic injustice through its systematic reliance on classical Orientalist sources and the structural barriers it erects in the face of local, alternative voices that are capable of challenging hegemonic narratives about Islam and Muslims. The present essay examines the legacy of three key Orientalist figures from the 19th and 20th centuries, frequently cited as authoritative sources in Wikipedia entries. It reveals how certain essentialist, not to say racialist or even racist tropes about Arabs and Muslims were institutionalized in major Orientalist academic projects, only to end up recycled across digital platforms. In conclusion, the study outlines a realistic roadmap for developing an engaged counter-Orientalist scholarship aimed at restoring the agency of Arabs and Muslims within the global pool of knowledge production and reclaiming their right to self-representation.
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