Abstract
The globalisation of scientific knowledge is one of the key processes shaping the transformation of contemporary science under conditions of digitalisation, the development of network infrastructures, and the implementation of open science policies. The study of knowledge globalisation is particularly relevant in the context of the rapid growth of digital technologies, the expansion of openness in scientific research, and the emergence of new forms of epistemic inequality that transform the contemporary scientific landscape. The purpose of this study was to analyse the paradoxical nature of knowledge globalisation and to identify the mechanisms through which epistemic inequality was formed in the context of digital and networked science. The methodological framework of the research was based on a complex of scientific analytical methods. The study employed phenomenological analysis, the historical and analytical method, the interpretative methodology of social epistemology, critical discourse analysis, and a structural and functional approach. The results included an analysis of the interaction between openness, digitalisation, and the global scientific infrastructure, and the identification of “shadow zones” – algorithmic, economic, and political mechanisms of unequal access to knowledge. It was shown that artificial intelligence has emerged as a new epistemic agent that simultaneously expanded research capabilities and deepened technological and infrastructural imbalances. It was generalised that open access, linguistic asymmetry, and algorithmic selection have formed new models of epistemic visibility and neo-colonial forms of knowledge production. The role of cultural diversity as a resource for inclusive global science was clarified, and the need for an ethics of transparency was emphasised. The practical significance of the study lay in the fact that its results can be used to shape open science policies, develop inclusive infrastructures, regulate digital platforms ethically, and enhance epistemic justice in the global scientific space