Call for Papers

Special Issue of Análisis Filosófico: “Oppressive Argumentation: Silencing and Oppressive Speech in Argumentation”

This special issue aims to collect original articles in Spanish and English devoted to the analysis of oppressive discourses within our argumentative practices, with a particular emphasis on those commonly found in Latin American contexts. Informal logic, epistemology, and gender studies will serve as the central—though not exclusive—perspectives guiding this special issue.

We may understand “oppressive discourse” as a speech act that harms a person or group, whose consequences contribute to the perpetuation of their conditions of subordination. One way in which oppression manifests itself is by depriving such individuals or groups of credibility (and, consequently, of epistemic authority), thereby reproducing discriminatory forms of subordination. This (epistemic) form of oppression typically accounts for the silencing of certain marginalized groups. This special issue will place particular emphasis on analyzing these forms of oppression, as well as the discursive and argumentative mechanisms that sustain them.

Language is a powerful force, deeply intertwined with social practices and ways of life: harmful stereotypes about individuals or groups are forged and reinforced through discursive activities. Thus, in order to prevent epistemic injustices, it is necessary to intervene in the discursive domain of power by critically reflecting on its influence on credibility, epistemic authority, and the prejudices associated with epistemic agents, as well as on the fallacies and argumentative errors committed by those who produce oppressive discourses. Informal logic, epistemology, and gender studies have much to contribute to this area, and this issue seeks to highlight contributions from these philosophical fields by examining recurring forms of discussion and argumentation in cases and examples drawn from everyday life. As a final outcome, this collection aims to show how philosophical argumentation can both help mitigate situations of epistemic injustice and contribute to identifying and dismantling harmful prejudices that promote discrimination.

Submissions are invited on topics including, but not limited to:

●      Discursive silencing and epistemic exclusion in argumentative contexts

●      Epistemic injustice in practices of debate and deliberation

●      Epistemic authority in argumentation

●      Fallacies and argumentative errors in oppressive discourses

●      Relations between social power, language, and argumentation

●      Philosophical analysis of oppressive discursive practices in Latin American contexts

Submissions must be made through the Análisis Filosófico website (https://analisisfilosofico.org/index.php/af/about/submissions), following the author guidelines (https://analisisfilosofico.org/index.php/af/guia-autores). When submitting the manuscript, authors should include a note in the “Comments for the Editor” field indicating that the submission is intended for this special issue. All submissions will undergo double-blind peer review by external referees. The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2026. For inquiries, please contact this email.

The guest editorial team is composed of Pyro Suarez (lead editor), Pamela Lastres (editorial supervisor), and Luz Muñoz (editorial assistant), all members of the research project “Silencing and Discourses of Oppression in Peru: Intersections between Informal Logic, Epistemology, and Gender Studies” at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.