Neo-colonial research or neo-colonial science is also described as helicopter research or parachute science. This is a practice in which researchers visit a location, collect data or samples, travel home to do analyses, and publish results, all without involving local researchers or communities, or having any further communication with them. This happens when international scientists, typically from higher-income countries, conduct field studies in another country, typically of lower income, or right here in the U.S. when researchers enter local or Indigenous spaces without involving communities, knowledge holders and local researchers. In this extractive approach, researchers assume the right to collect data, regardless of ownership or occupancy of the land. This colonialistic behavior in the Earth system sciences has its roots in the history of European scientific imperialism and the conquering of Indigenous lands and people in a “pursuit of power through the pursuit of knowledge” (Tignor et al., 2017). In the U.S., the discipline of geology developed in step with westward expansion, with the government mapping terrain and resources, and displacing Indigenous peoples from their lands. 

Unfortunately, still today some scientific endeavors continue to operate in an extractive, non-inclusive way. These practices might lead scientists to take advantage of local infrastructures without including or acknowledging local researchers or communities. By not  recognizing and respecting local knowledge and expertise, and by failing to involve local experts in designing and conducting research, scientists of today perpetuate colonial behaviors of the past.

We invite papers that discuss: 

• What is scientific neo-colonialism and why is it a problem?
• Examples of neocolonialism practices and their impact
• Changes in research, funding, science communication, and publishing practices that can address neo-colonialism
• Education necessary to change neo-colonial practices in academia and how we train students

References: https://www.egu.eu/news/960/egu-statement-on-scientific-neocolonialism-for-earth-day/

Tignor, Robert, J. Adelman, P. Brown, B. Elman, S. Kotkin, G. Prakash, B. Shaw et al. Worlds Together, Worlds Apart: 1 Volume. WW Norton & Company, 2017.