SOCIAL PRODUCTION OF IGNORANCE, EPISTEMICIDE, AND INFORMATIONAL INJUSTICE

AN AGNOTOLOGICAL APPROACH TO DISINFORMATION IN THE AMAZON

Abstract

Information disputes surrounding climate change, environmental issues, and territorial conflicts have increased scholarly interest in approaches that address disinformation beyond the circulation of false content. In this context, agnotology, the study of the social production of ignorance, provides a framework for examining the mechanisms that shape the visibility and legitimacy of knowledge. This paper discusses the contributions of agnotology to understanding disinformation in dialogue with the concepts of epistemicide and informational injustice, focusing on the Amazon. The study adopts an exploratory theoretical approach based on a literature review. The findings indicate that the production of ignorance involves the creation of uncertainty, the circulation of misleading information, and the delegitimization of subjects and forms of knowledge. In the Amazon, these processes emerge in disputes over the legitimacy of knowledge produced by Indigenous peoples, quilombola communities, riverine populations, and other traditional groups. The paper concludes that agnotology offers a valuable framework for understanding disinformation and its implications for informational justice.