EPISTEMIC INJUSTICE AND THE POLITICS OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN BONNIE GARMUS'S LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY

Abstract

This article examines epistemic injustice and the politics of scientific knowledge in Bonnie Garmus’s novel Lessons in Chemistry. The study explores how gender inequality, institutional exclusion, and social authority influence the production and recognition of scientific knowledge in the fictional world of the 1950s and 1960s. Through the experiences of Elizabeth Zott, the novel reveals how women scientists are denied credibility, intellectual independence, and professional recognition despite their expertise. The research argues that Garmus presents science not only as a field of discovery but also as a social institution shaped by power relations. The article applies theories of epistemic injustice to analyze how knowledge is controlled, whose voices are legitimized, and how marginalized individuals resist intellectual oppression.