Cultural Frames of Ethics, a Challenge for Information and Knowledge Organization

• Authors: Mustafa El Hadi Widad

Title variants

PL

Kulturowe ramy etyki. Wyzwania dla organizacji informacji i wiedzy

• Languages of publication: EN PL

Abstracts

EN

PURPOSE/THESIS: Culture is the common frame that can embrace the other facets like social and political aspects of classification that are at play when we talk about ethical dimensions. This article explores the cultural frames of ethics by identifying fundamental characteristic of biases of KOSs, namely classifications and indexing languages as variants of KOSs. These biases are examined through the lenses of ethics. The main focus is on structural biases generated by mainstream classification and indexing schemes. Conceptual issues, some examples of cultural and racial biases and some directions for future work are discussed. APPROACH/METHODS: Based on a literature review of methods used in detecting biases, two inde­xing languages are chosen: subject authority file RAMEAU and LCSH. To show how knowledge organization systems contribute to marginalization, exclusion and stigmatization of a category of the population, and/or of a culture with reference to the French context a comparison between RAMEAU and LCSH was conducted. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In order to deal effectively with the ethical issues they face, library professio­nals and institutions providing knowledge must have a good working knowledge of information ethics. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The author defines the cultural frame of ethics and demonstrates that a bias is hard to shift. The research conducted by the author and her students to verify the range of biases in RAMEAU showed that the efforts made to fight biases in KOSs brought positive results when it comes to LCSH, but it showed that the other systems based on this indexing language have main­tained their initial biases. The author calls for solid and sustainable actions to fight against KOSs inherited persistent biases.

PL

CEL/TEZA: Podczas projektowania systemów organizacji wiedzy, aspekt kulturowy wyznacza jedną z ram interpretacyjnych, do której zalicza się również wymiar społeczny i polityczny. Mają one istotny wpływ na rozważania na temat etycznej natury systemów organizacji wiedzy. W artykule scharakteryzowano kulturowe ramy etyki poprzez identyfikację kluczowych typów uprzedzeń w systemach organizacji wiedzy. Tego typu uprzedzenia zostały zbadane przez pryzmat etyki. Główny nacisk w rozważaniach położono na uprzedzenia strukturalne obecne w uniwersalnych schematach klasyfikacyjnych i innych językach informacyjno-wyszukiwawczych. Omówiono również problemy natury teoretycznej, przedstawiono wybrane przykłady uprzedzeń o charakterze kulturowym i rasowym oraz zaproponowano wybrane kierunki dalszych prac w tym obszarze. KONCEPCJA/METODY BADAŃ: W artykule wykorzystano analizę i krytykę piśmiennictwa w celu identyfikacji metod wykrywania stronniczości w systemach organizacji wiedzy. Na tej podstawie przeanalizowano dwa języki informacyjne RAMEAU oraz LCSH w celu wykrycia przejawów marginalizacji, wykluczenia i stygmatyzacji w odniesieniu do francuskiego kontekstu kulturowego. WYNIKI I WNIOSKI: Praktyczna wiedza z zakresu etyki informacji wśród pracowników bibliotek oraz innych instytucji informacyjnych jest niezbędna do skutecznego rozwiązywania problemów etycznych w systemach organizacji wiedzy. ORYGINALNOŚĆ/WARTOŚĆ POZNAWCZA: Zdefiniowano kulturowe ramy etyki i przedstawiono kilka przykładów, które pokazują trudności w eliminacji uprzedzeń w systemach organizacji wiedzy. Wyniki badań przeprowadzonych przez autorkę wraz z jej studentami na temat zakresu i rodzaju uprzedzeń w RAMEAU pokazały, że praca na rzecz eliminacji tych uprzedzeń dała pozytywne rezultaty, ale tylko w przypadku LCSH. W innych językach informacyjno-wyszukiwawczych opartych na LCSH przejęto i pozostawiono obecne tam różne typy uprzedzeń. Autorka postuluje systematyczną walkę z uprzedzeniami obecnymi w systemach organizacji wiedzy.

Keywords

EN

Biases in knowledge organization systems; Cultural frames of ethics; Information ethics

PL

Etyka informacji; Kulturowe ramy etyki; Stronniczość w systemach organizacji wiedzy

• Publisher: Stowarzyszenie Bibliotekarzy Polskich i Wydział Dziennikarstwa, Informacji i Bibliologii. Uniwersytet Warszawski
• Journal: Zagadnienia Informacji Naukowej - Studia Informacyjne
• Year: 2019
• Volume: 57
• Issue: 2(114)
• Pages: 23-39

Dates

received

2019-08-14

accepted

2019-12-18

Contributors

author

Mustafa El Hadi Widad

• GERiiCO Laboratory, University of Lille, France

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Identifiers

DOI

https://doi.org/10.36702/zin.452