The meanings of "criticism" in the studies of information literacy

Abstract

This article focuses on the evaluation of the meanings of the “critical” predicate associated with information literacy in some of the most cited works on the subject, in both Portuguese and English. Our methodology is based on a bibliographic survey in digital databases, in order to produce a reference list of publications on information literacy that brings the word “critical” (or one of its derivatives). From this list, it is made a semantic evaluation of the term in question, in order to capture the meanings attributed to this “criticism”. In addition to this general objective, we also verify, as a specific objective, the presence of references to the most known authors of critical thinking in philosophy, sociology and pedagogy. The results showed a significant presence of the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, indicating an approach with critical pedagogy, but a low incidence of dialogues with the German critical tradition, noticed by the almost inexistence of mentions to sociologists and philosophers such as Kant, Hegel, Marx and Horkheimer. Nonetheless, the research also revealed a certain semantic affinity with such theoretical tradition. The conclusion suggests the development of a critical perspective towards critical information literacy, in order to stimulate not only scientific reflection but also the emancipatory praxis of individuals.