Neutrality vs. social justice: a democratic perspective

Introduction. In recent years, there has been heated debate about the relationship between neutrality and social justice in library and information science. This intense dialogue is explicitly linked to democracy, yet, with few exceptions, the rich literature on democracy is not incorporated into the ongoing debate. The aim of this paper is to use theories on democracy as a lens to understand the ideological battle between neutrality and social justice. Method. A systematic search in Library, information science & technology abstracts for relevant papers serves as the starting point for the analysis. Analysis. Among scholars discussing democracy, there is general agreement that freedom and equality are core democratic values. However, disagreements arise in how these two concepts are defined and related to one another. This tension is also reflected in the debate over neutrality and social justice. Results. Three distinct positions are identified: liberal freedom, freedom as equality and radical equality. Conclusions. Democracy is a highly contested concept, and as a result, it is not possible to judge any one position as superior in democratic terms. Nevertheless, a democratic perspective can enrich and nuance future discussions in this area.