Known but unseen: Linguistically mediated testimonial injustice and academic recognition in Russian-medium higher education

Hamza Ülgen

doi:10.32674/xwmfgt05

Authors

Hamza Ülgen Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE), Moscow, Russia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/xwmfgt05

Keywords:

academic recognition, academic Russian, classroom participation, international students, linguistic capital, Russian-medium higher education, testimonial injustice, Turkish students

Abstract

This article examines how Turkish students in Russian-medium higher education experience the recognition and misrecognition of academic competence. Drawing on secondary qualitative analysis of 15 interviews, it develops the concept of linguistically mediated testimonial injustice to explain how linguistic performance shapes credibility judgments in classroom participation and oral assessment. Three interrelated dynamics emerged: epistemic distortion in evaluation, anticipatory silencing, and strategic recognition through written contribution and alternative academic spaces. The study argues that language barriers function not only as communication problems but as institutional conditions determining whose knowledge becomes academically visible. The article contributes to research on epistemic injustice and non-Anglophone higher education by showing how academic recognition depends on assessment practices, classroom tempo, and the institutional value assigned to academic Russian.

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