collective epistemic ownership
Definition
Collective epistemic ownership refers to group members' perception of collectively owning cultural knowledge, meanings, and narratives that define a nation, distinct from territorial ownership over geopolitical spaces and borders. As an ownership dimension, it captures how groups assert possession over intangible elements including shared stories and symbolic content that bind communities together, operating through mechanisms of collective control, intimate knowledge, and collective investment. The study of collective epistemic ownership reveals that it functions differently across social groups: for majority populations, epistemic ownership is associated with perceptions of collective responsibility, while for immigrant minorities, it primarily relates to claims of civic participation rights. Collective epistemic ownership thus represents a critical lens for understanding how both dominant and marginalized groups construct belonging and negotiate their role in defining what a nation means beyond its physical territories.
Sources: Szebeni et al. (2025)
Related Terms
Applications
Collective Epistemic Ownership and Collective Responsibility
For ethnic majority group members, collective epistemic ownership is significantly associated with perceiving collective responsibility toward the nation. This relationship is distinct from territorial ownership, which for majorities is instead linked to exclusive determination rights, demonstrating that narrative and symbolic ownership activates different psychological outcomes than land-based ownership.
Sources: Szebeni et al. (2025)
Collective Epistemic Ownership and Determination Rights
Both territorial and epistemic ownership dimensions relate to perceived determination of rights, but the patterns differ by group status. For second-generation immigrants, both dimensions are associated with claiming rights, yet neither is associated with responsibility; for majority populations, epistemic ownership predicts both collective responsibility and exclusive determination rights.
Sources: Szebeni et al. (2025)
Collective Epistemic Ownership and Collective Investment
Collective investment emerges as a predictor of both territorial and epistemic ownership across majority and minority populations. This ownership activator operates similarly across both dimensions, though the forms of investment differ—historical for majorities and contemporary contributions for minorities.
Sources: Szebeni et al. (2025)
