Feminist epistemic injustice in neo-vedantic modern Indian philosophy: The androcentric agent and agency in decolonial theory

Abstract

This paper examines the sociological dimensions of Neo-Vedantic nationalist philosophy through a feminist epistemological lens, addressing a critical gap in scholarship concerning epistemic injustice embedded in canonical philosophical traditions. While Neo Vedanta positions itself as a metaphysical framework that asserts parity with dominant philosophical systems, insufficient attention has been given to its androcentric assumptions and exclusionary knowledge practices. The objective of this study is to interrogate how feminist epistemic injustice is reproduced through philosophical abstraction and spiritual universalism. Employing a feminist critical hermeneutic and decolonial philosophical methodology, the study undertakes interpretive textual analysis informed by standpoint epistemology. The analysis reveals that the philosopher under study occupies a privileged epistemic position that limits engagement with marginalized perspectives, particularly those shaped by embodied and gendered experiences. The emphasis on inner consciousness and metaphysical liberation marginalizes lived realities, thereby devaluing experiential knowledge and silencing feminist concerns. The study highlights how spiritualized knowledge production undermines democratic epistemic participation. The findings underscore the need for feminist interventions in decolonial philosophy to challenge patriarchal structures embedded within metaphysical traditions.

Keywords: Decolonial philosophy; epistemic injustice; feminist epistemology; knowledge production; Neo Vedanta