ASTRONOMÍA HEGEMÓNICA, PARADIGMAS E IMAGINARIOS SOCIALES: UNA CRÍTICA EPISTEMOLÓGICA

Abstract

This study analyzes the relationship between scientific paradigms and social imaginaries in hegemonic astronomy, with the aim of examining how the production of knowledge is shaped by social, cultural, and political structures that condition its legitimation. It seeks to problematize the notion of scientific neutrality in the construction of astronomical knowledge and to highlight its epistemological and pedagogical implications. Methodologically, the paper adopts a theoretical-interpretive socio-epistemic approach based on a critical analysis of scientific and sociological literature on paradigms, social imaginaries, and historical studies of astronomy. No empirical data are used; instead, the study relies on a conceptual review and theoretical problematization from an interdisciplinary perspective. The findings show that Western astronomy, from its origins in classical Greece and its consolidation during the Copernican revolution, has been structured within a Eurocentric narrative that tends to marginalize other worldviews. This ordering of knowledge is not neutral, as it defines which forms of understanding are considered valid while excluding alternative epistemologies and reducing the symbolic and cultural dimensions of the sky. Likewise, social imaginaries of the cosmos can operate as mechanisms of power that shape and constrain interpretations of reality. It is concluded that astronomy cannot be understood solely as a technical system of knowledge, but rather as a situated cultural practice. In this regard, the study highlights the need for an epistemological opening in astronomy education through the incorporation of approaches such as archaeoastronomy, ethnoastronomy, socioastronomy, and cultural astronomy, in order to foster a more plural, critical, and inclusive understanding of the cosmos.