Circulation of Ignorance: A Tool for Oppression or Liberation?

Epistemology and ignorance are intimately related. We might naively construe the relationship as hostile because epistemology deals with operations of knowledge, the goal being the elimination of ignorance. It appears that episte­- mology and ignorance are radically opposed to each other. But a deeper scrutiny will manifest some of the complexities involving the two. Perhaps a juxtaposing of the two, as in ‘epistemology of ignorance’, might offer an effective semantic tool that will assist us in drawing out the nuances implied and prove to be educative and transformative. So this article studies the complex phenomenon of ignorance, exploring its different forms, examining how it is produced and sustained. It problematizes the role that they play in knowledge production and circulation, and seeks to under­ stand how they impact the power relations in our society. Epistemologies of ignorance certainly widen the understand­ ing of ignorance that is often construed as a gap in knowl­- edge or an epistemic oversight that can be remedied once it is noticed. While this kind of ignorance does exist it is not the only kind. There are also other forms of ignorance that can put on the mask of knowledge and produce domination and exploitation. Sometimes these ‘unknowledges’ are deliberately produced while at other times they are unconsciously gener­- ated. The production, maintenance and circulation of ignorance in our society generates oppression and exploitation. Ignorance is not merely a tool of oppression employed by the powerful. It is also a strategy of survival for the victims. Often the victims of oppression use it to unlearn the ways of the oppres­- sor. This is widely known as the ‘strategy of resistance’. In the context of our exploration of how a witness of Christian values can liberate society, we explore how ignorance, in multiple ways, can re-produce oppression. However, we are not merely interested in the understanding of this issue, but also in its remedy. Hence, our study is both diagnostic and therapeutic. The motivation for this study flows from our mis­ sion to bring forth the kingdom of God in our society. It is in this regard that we feel that our study of the epistemologies of ignorance can redeem our society, leading to a praxis of life deeply fuelled by the values of the kingdom