Multilingualism in international science education conferences: a matter of equity and epistemic justice

This essay examines the linguistic and epistemic implications of imposing English as the sole language of communication in certain international science education research conferences. It argues that the hegemony of English creates communicative barriers that disproportionately affect non-native English-speaking researchers. It further explores how these dynamics contribute to forms of epistemic injustice, the potential loss of diversity of ideas in scientific production, and the risk of granting greater legitimacy to knowledge disseminated in English. Finally, it proposes alternatives aimed at linguistic equity – such as promoting multilingualism in international scientific conferences – and calls for greater alignment between current discourses on epistemic justice and academic practices in science education research.