Kristie Dotson is a contemporary American philosopher specializing in feminist epistemology, social epistemology, and philosophy of race. She is best known for developing the concepts of epistemic oppression, testimonial smothering, and tracking practices of silencing that constrain marginalized knowers. Her work interrogates the structural and interpersonal conditions that systematically limit whose knowledge is recognized and whose testimony is heard.
Developed the concept of 'testimonial smothering' to describe self-silencing under epistemic threat
Theorized 'epistemic oppression' as a distinct form of harm targeting marginalized knowers
Advanced methodological diversity arguments challenging narrow conceptions of academic philosophy
Contributed foundational work on tracking practices of epistemic silencing
Critiqued the exclusion of women and minorities from philosophical knowledge production