Epistemic Hierarchies and Multicultural Educational Justice: Re-reading Plato through Inclusive and Special Education

Abstract

The Republic and Ion by Plato created a pecking order in which rational philosophy was superior to creative expression. This theoretical research remakes that hierarchy using disability studies and multicultural education. The paper presents a philosophical hermeneutic reading of some of the most significant passages in Plato to debate that his omission of poets foretells the perpetuation of epistemic hierarchies that are biased against non-dominant modes of knowing. Placing the discussion in the context of the current world discourse on inclusive and postcolonial education, the paper promotes epistemic pluralism as a key to multicultural justice. It argues that educational equity needs to legitimize creative, embodied and culturally diverse knowledge..