Academic collaborations between institutions in the Global North and South often carry the weight of colonial legacies. Despite good intentions, power asymmetries persist, with Northern partners frequently acting as donors, agenda-setters, and decision-makers. Southern collaborators, in contrast, are often relegated to roles as implementers or data providers. These dynamics hinder equitable knowledge production and perpetuate exclusion.

In our recent work—published as Against Self-Reflexive Confessions: Collective Dialogues to Progressively Transform Academic North-South Collaborations in the European Journal of Development Research—we critiqued self-reflexivity as often insufficient when practiced in isolation. Instead, we developed collective reflexive dialogues as a relational process to challenge and unsettle entrenched dynamics. Here, we share insights into our journey and reflect on how these dialogues created spaces for accountability, transformation, and hope.

Beyond Self-Reflexivity: Toward a Collective Approach

Self-reflexivity is frequently promoted as a way to confront privilege and positionality in academic work. However, when practiced alone, it risks becoming performative and self-serving. Individual reflections, even when well-meaning, often fail to disrupt the systemic and relational nature of power dynamics in North-South collaborations.

Our critique of self-reflexivity builds on Judith Butler’s work, which emphasizes the relational and interdependent nature of subject formation. Reflexivity, we argue, should not stay only with the self. Instead, it must involve engaging with others in ways that foster dialogue, accountability, and mutual transformation. This shift—from solitary to collective reflexivity—allows researchers to confront complicity in neocolonial practices while working toward more equitable and pluralistic academic partnerships.

The Transformative Power of Dialogue

Between June 2021 and October 2022, we engaged in monthly online dialogues that became a space for collective reflection. We represented diverse backgrounds—a sociologist from Africa, a first-generation academic from Latin America, and a European researcher in environmental studies—and our conversations drew on personal experiences, failures, and aspirations.

These dialogues were transformative in several ways:

1. Recognizing Complicity: By listening to one another’s stories, we confronted our roles in perpetuating neocolonial practices, even when we saw ourselves as victims of structural inequities. This dual perspective helped us understand how privilege and oppression coexist.
2. Learning from Failure: Early in our collaboration, a short-term project on decoloniality faltered due to top-down planning and insufficient stakeholder engagement. Reflecting on this failure, we began to see how systemic asymmetries were mirrored in our academic practices.
3. Creating Relational Spaces: Through empathy and trust, we built a space where we could address discomfort and vulnerability without fear of judgment. This environment encouraged us to question our assumptions and co-create new approaches to collaboration.

Illustrative Stories: Moments of Reflection and Growth

Our dialogues revealed insights through vivid, personal vignettes. For instance:

• One of us described navigating an imbalanced co-supervision arrangement in a North-South doctoral program. The Northern supervisor’s unilateral decisions left the Southern counterpart sidelined, highlighting how entrenched hierarchies persist even in collaborative structures designed for equity.
• Another shared the emotional toll of publishing a co-authored paper in English to meet Northern standards. While intended to amplify Southern voices, the process ultimately centered the Northern researcher’s career advancement, underscoring the complexities of balancing individual and collective goals.

These stories, while personal, reflect systemic patterns that many researchers in North-South partnerships might recognize.

A Meeting in Brussels: Bridging the Virtual and Physical

Our dialogues culminated in a long-anticipated in-person meeting in Brussels. After years of virtual collaboration, sitting together in the same space was profoundly affirming. We shared stories, laughter, and plans for future projects.

Implications for Academic Practice

Collective reflexive dialogues offer a framework for addressing structural imbalances in North-South collaborations. They:

• Illuminate how systemic dynamics manifest in interpersonal relationships, encouraging researchers to take responsibility for their roles.
• Create spaces for mutual accountability and transformative learning.
• Highlight the importance of embracing vulnerability, discomfort, and failure as opportunities for growth.

However, this approach also requires time, trust, and a commitment to relational work—resources that are often scarce in academia. As such, it may not be accessible to everyone, especially those navigating precarity or heavy workloads. Institutions must recognize the value of this work and provide supportive environments for its practice.

Looking Ahead: Toward Relational Academic Practices

Our work is ongoing and necessarily incomplete. We continue to grapple with our complicity and to seek ways to foster relational accountability. Transformative dialogues are not a panacea, but they represent a powerful tool for reimagining academic relationships and challenging entrenched inequalities.

As we reflect on our journey, we invite other academics to join us in this exploration. How can we create spaces for collective reflexivity in our own contexts? What stories do we need to share, and what silences must we break? Let’s continue this conversation and work together to transform the structures that shape our academic collaborations.