Ethical studies on knowledge representation: an analysis of the feminine issue in Brazilian indexing languages

• Grant number: 07/06876-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2008
• End date: February 28, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Information Science - Library and Information Science
• Principal Investigator: José Augusto Chaves Guimarães
• Grantee: Suellen Oliveira Milani
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências (FFC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Marília. Marília , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Subject representation of information, as a process, as well as the tools that take part in it and the products that emanate from it are not, by any means, neutral, being soaked in moral values. In such landscape, problems of bias in representation may rise, such as prejudice, discrimination, gender issues, dicotomical categorizations and lack of warrant/cultural hospitality. Concerning the women s issue, supported only by a few initial reflexions by Berman (1993), Olson (1998), López-Huertas and Barité (2002), López-Huertas, Torres and Barité (2004), López-Huertas (2006) and Guimarães (2006b, 2007), there is severe lack of literature related to representation and to the outlining of its epistemological frame, becoming necessary to verify how far the terms connected to the feminine issue are eventually inserted under bias in the tools of area. For such action, it is proposed to verify the presence of the following terms: woman(en); female; feminism; feminist; maternal; motherly, within the Brazilian indexing languages: Vocabulário Controlado Básico and Vocabulário Controlado da USP (University of São Paulo), as well as into the international indexing languages: 22nd Dewey Decimal Classification and the Library of Congress Subject Headings, on the other hand. Each term identified in the alphabetic indexing languages shall have its descriptor and non-descriptors recorded, as well as the scope and remissive notes, related terms and hierarchic relations, whereas the incidences related to hierarchic indexing languages, shall be systematized in compliance with the guidelines proposed by Olson (1998). Once the terms with bias are systematized and compared among the languages mentioned above, it will be possible to contribute for future studies related to possible surrogates. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

MILANI, Suellen Oliveira. Estudos éticos em representação do conhecimento: uma análise da questão feminina em linguagens documentais brasileiras. 2010. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências. Marília Marília.