Systemic mechanisms advancing and impeding institutional epistemic justice in the work of LGBT social workers in Israel

Epistemic justice concerns fair treatment in knowledge production and communicative practices. While early scholarship focused on interpersonal interactions, growing attention has turned to its institutional dimensions. This study examines systemic mechanisms that advance or hinder institutional epistemic justice in social work, focusing on LGBT social workers in Israel. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 LGBT social workers across local authorities, and analyzed using Thematic Content Analysis. Findings identified three interrelated themes, and conceptualize institutional epistemic justice as a spiral process shaped by role definition, spacial positioning, formal and informal structures, and power-knowledge hierarchies within institutional settings.