academic zine-making Retreat on Curaçao

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Join us on a 3-day art-science retreat for early career professionals to reflect on and co-create a zine about the societal impact of sustainability research in the Caribbean

While much sustainability research is done in the Caribbean, there is a general perception among island communities that relatively little of this research makes real positive impact on Caribbean societies. What’s more, some research is also perceived to cause harm, for example when community autonomy is undermined, when ethical codes are not followed, when researchers behave condescendingly towards locals, or when research participants are not compensated fairly. Furthermore, because of a high reliance on external research funding and the lingering impact of the region’s colonial history, helicopter research practices are prevalent in the Caribbean. It is not uncommon for academic researchers to fly in to ‘extract’ data over short periods of time before leaving again to write their scientific articles abroad. This is often done without developing relationships with island communities or an understanding of each island’s specific context, and without sharing research results with local communities. At the same time, it is comparatively difficult (but not impossible) for local researchers to sustain successful academic careers while based in some parts of the Caribbean, further increasing the scope for helicopter research practices while blurring the lines between insider and outsider researchers.

In light of these dynamics, there is a real risk that sustainability research acts as a pathway for enacting coloniality, imposing external worldviews, and implementing inadequate sustainability solutions, resulting in negative impacts on Caribbean communities (Sankatsing Nava et al. 2023). With negative impacts, we mean instances wherein research introduces harm or risk to (non-)human communities affected by it, for example by wasting stakeholders’ time, trivializing community narratives, undermining community autonomy, and reinforcing unjust power arrangements, among others (Britton and Johnson 2023). Furthermore, sustainability research may fail to generate benefits for communities when findings are not shared back, or when reports disappear in drawers, never to be taken out again.

Despite a general discontent regarding the impact of research in the Caribbean, there is no consensus on how best to ensure that sustainability research truly benefits Caribbean communities. This is made even more difficult by the diversity of places and contexts that characterize the Caribbean, as well as the diversity in perspectives on what are appropriate ways for sustainability research to truly contribute in the region.

During this zine-making retreat, we will critically consider and reflect on the risks associated with sustainability research and the potential for negative societal impact in the Caribbean. We will do this by exploring challenges related to current research impact practices in the Caribbean, as well as by sharing hopes and imaginaries of how research impact could otherwise be achieved in the region. We will also consider how to best navigate risks related to negative societal impact, given each of our own unique positionalities.

During this zine-making exercise, we aim to go beyond passive reflection and acknowledgement of researchers’ positionalities, towards a more active consideration of researchers’ relations to the communities and places they research and impact. We recognize that, because research is relational, researchers are always affecting communities in positive and negative ways, just as much as researchers are affected by and learn from communities. Drawing from Tuck and Yang (2014), we thus explore when it may be appropriate for researchers and communities to refuse research in the Caribbean – for example, when there is a risk of research harming Caribbean communities – and how they may choose to go about it.

This retreat is especially for you if you are still early in your professional research-oriented career – like a master student, PhD candidate, PostDoc, artist, policy-maker, activist, or member of civil society – and you already find yourself reflecting often about the societal impact of research in the Caribbean.

We apply a broad and inclusive understanding of ‘early research-oriented career professional’. In other words, you do not need to be 20 years old to apply, nor do you have to be currently affiliated with an institute of higher education. It is also not necessary to conduct research yourself, as the retreat is also intended for those who participate in, advice on, or use the results of sustainability research in their work. More specifically, the retreat is for individuals who are already thinking critically about research impact in the Caribbean, but are still early on in their careers and would like to continue thinking about this topic during a collaborative zine-making exercise.

Who is this retreat for?

The 3-day, 2-night retreat will run from August 31st to September 2nd, 2025 and will be hosted at Mondi Lodge, Curaçao. Mondi is a family-owned eco-friendly lodge with colorful palapas and a big, tropical garden filled with flowers and local fauna such as iguanas, (tree) lizards, hummingbirds, parakeets and land crabs. During the retreat, we will likely do one or two excursions around the island of Curaçao. If you are traveling to Curaçao, you will be able to extend your stay at Mondi Lodge for a reduced price. If you are living on Curaçao, and do not want to stay on the venue location, you are still welcome to join.

The entire retreat – including accommodation, food, and participation in retreat activities – is free of charge. We also have some funding available to help you cover some additional costs related to your participation in the retreat – such as travel to Curaçao, child care, etc. We ask you to indicate whether you would be requesting financial assistance in the application form.