WHO SPEAKS ABOUT THE AMAZON?

COLONIALISM AND INFORMATIONAL JUSTICE

Abstract

This paper analyzes the international production and circulation of scientific information about the Amazon from the perspective of informational colonialism. The central objective is to understand the structural inequalities and power relations that define who has the authority to speak about the region in global science circuits. The methodology, of a documentary and bibliometric nature, was based on the analysis of 2,711 articles indexed in the Web of Science database between 2016 and 2025. The results demonstrate that, although Brazil concentrates the majority of publications (62.4%), countries of the Global North, led by the United States (31%), maintain a significant influence on knowledge production. The study also reveals a phenomenon of "internal colonialism," since Brazilian institutions located outside the Amazonian territory, such as USP (University of São Paulo), occupy more prominent positions than institutions based in the region itself. This asymmetry is reinforced by the absolute hegemony of English, which represents 99.78% of the production, ultimately marginalizing local languages ​​and silencing regional researchers. It is concluded that scientific production on the Amazon is marked by hierarchies that render local voices and knowledge invisible. The study advocates for the strengthening of Information Justice, aiming to expand the protagonism of Amazonian institutions and guarantee the sovereignty of traditional communities in the construction of narratives about their territory.