The open science that silences: Multilingualism, epistemic sovereignty, and the invisible indigenous languages in the digital age

Abstract

Open science has been consolidated as a global paradigm that seeks to democratize access to knowledge, expand scientific collaboration, and promote transparency in scientific production processes. However, this openness  is marked by linguistic, epistemic, and political boundaries that make visible the contradictions between the universalizing ideal of open science and the reality of linguistic and cultural asymmetries in the production and circulation of knowledge. This article proposes a critical reflection on the role of language te chnologies—such as translation, subtitling, and digital archives—in open science, questioning the hegemony of English as the lingua franca of science and the mechanisms that render indigenous languages and pluriepistemic knowledge invisible. From a perspective of linguistic and epistemic sovereignty, we discuss how open science can be reconfigured through a multilingual and intercultural policy that recognizes and integrates different modes of knowledge production, especially those linked to indigenous and traditional populations, with the aim of addressing global challenges in health and the environment.