Using Epistemic Injustice to Examine Scholarship About Sexual Violence Among Students With Minoritized Identities

Area of Science:

• Higher Education Studies
• Sociology of Education
• Public Health

Background:

• Sexual violence (SV) remains a significant issue on college campuses.
• Existing scholarship on SV has historically centered on dominant student populations.
• Minoritized students, including students of color, students with disabilities, and queer and/or trans students, face unique challenges and experiences with SV.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in scholarship concerning sexual violence (SV) and minoritized student populations over a 10-year period.
• To identify gaps in theoretical frameworks and research approaches within SV scholarship pertaining to diverse student identities.
• To examine the implications of current scholarship practices on the effectiveness of SV prevention and intervention efforts.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive content analysis was conducted on academic literature published over the last decade.
• The analysis focused on scholarship addressing sexual violence in relation to students of color, students with disabilities, and queer and/or trans students.
• Epistemic injustice was utilized as a theoretical lens to interpret the findings.

Main Results:

• The majority of SV scholarship involving minoritized students concentrates on prevalence rates and risk factors.
• A significant lack of theoretical frameworks tailored to the specific experiences of these student populations was identified.
• Research and practice often fail to adequately address the unique contexts and needs of minoritized students affected by SV.

Conclusions:

• The exclusion of minoritized students' perspectives and experiences in SV scholarship results in ineffective interventions.
• Applying an epistemic injustice framework highlights how silencing or marginalizing these students' knowledge perpetuates harm.
• Addressing these gaps is crucial for developing more equitable and effective strategies to combat sexual violence in higher education for all students.