Field Note: Confronting Research Neocolonialism: Reflections on a Quantitative Study Codesign in Myanmar

Abstract

Research neocolonialism—a term we use to describe situations where actors from the Global North design and control research, while their partners from the Global South play subordinate roles—is pervasive in the education in emergencies field. In this field note, we reflect on our efforts to push back against these dynamics while codesigning quantitative instruments for the Myanmar research program of the Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crises consortium. Working in monastic and ethnic Karen settings, we sought to move from adapting generic global tools to developing instruments that could serve the local education communities. We describe our codesign process and identify three principles that guided the work: redistributing epistemic authority, practicing contextual and cultural humility, and recognizing the interdependence of different forms of expertise. We also acknowledge where we fell short: compressed timelines, informal rather than intentional learning, and structural arrangements that limited investment in research capacity in the Global South. Our reflections are from Myanmar, but we believe they carry relevance for North-South partnerships wherever neocolonialism shapes how knowledge is produced. Codesign is not a formula, but relational and ethical work.