Introduction

Abstract

The book’s co-editors explain that the purpose of the book is to participate intelligently in an open debate on the question of epistemological diversity in educational research. The book does not settle the debate but explains how parties on opposite sides may have been talking at cross purposes. Some of the puzzling aspects of claims about epistemological diversity are introduced, such as the relativism that seems to be assumed in some claims about culturally specific epistemologies. The authors point out that both the ways truth claims are justified, and the topics that are selected for investigation are relevant social-epistemological considerations, but neither one should eclipse the other. Finally, they raise the question of whether epistemological-sounding discourse is being used to discuss matters other than epistemology.