Evelyn Vázquez shines a spotlight on the troubling impact of white saviorism within community-engaged research, particularly in the context of universities operating under neoliberal principles.
She also suggests actionable strategies for meaningful change in this landscape.
Colonial Roots of Neoliberal Academia
To effectively critique the neoliberal university, it’s crucial to account for its colonial roots.
Victoria Reyes, in her book Academic Outsider (Stanford University Press, 2022), argues that higher education has historically been crafted to serve a privileged few—specifically, affluent, white, cisgender men.
This background has given rise to systemic norms that consistently marginalize communities, especially those that are racially diverse or economically disadvantaged.
Even individuals of color who attain power within these institutions, such as tenured professors or administrators, often inadvertently uphold these oppressive structures by conforming to conventional practices instead of challenging them.
The academic tradition of positivism, which prioritizes quantifiable evidence, further entrenches inequalities.
By focusing solely on numerical data, this paradigm dismisses the richness of personal experiences and social contexts, leading to a shallow interpretation of “objective” truths.
It overlooks the intricate dynamics of privilege and oppression that shape identities, resulting in research that often emphasizes deficiencies in marginalized groups while ignoring the systemic factors—like settler colonialism and structural racism—that perpetuate their struggles.
Such an approach can exacerbate harmful stereotypes and stigmas associated with communities of color in academia.
Transformative Community-Engaged Research
In contrast, a transformative research paradigm seeks to elevate the voices and stories of marginalized communities.
This approach champions knowledge equity and aims to dismantle historical power hierarchies that have typically sidelined these groups from the research process.
Over the last 25 years, community-engaged research (CEnR) and community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodologies have gained traction in health education, public health, and social sciences.
These methods prioritize equitable partnerships between academic institutions and community stakeholders, fostering authentic collaboration aimed at systemic change.
As a woman of color from the Global South and an immigrant focused on health equity, I have witnessed both the promise and challenges of CEnR firsthand.
While these methodologies can effectively address social injustices, they also reveal the ongoing discriminatory practices entrenched in neoliberal universities, particularly affecting low-income and immigrant communities of color.
Despite their potential to tackle complex health and social issues through community empowerment, one must question whether these approaches can genuinely thrive in a neoliberal academic environment.
Driving Change through Equity and Accountability
Unfortunately, the surge of CEnR initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic has often stemmed from a desire for funding and institutional prestige rather than a sincere commitment to equity.
Megan Snider Bailey observes that the market-driven forces shaping university-community collaborations often reinforce a colonial mindset rooted in the white savior complex.
This mentality tends to position universities as the main arbiters of resources and legitimacy, occasionally exploiting marginalized groups in the name of support to secure grants from well-known organizations like the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation.
The white savior complex embodies affluent individuals, frequently white, who assume the role of “rescuer” for marginalized communities.
This paternalistic perspective fosters exploitative relationships and reinforces oppressive structures.
For instance, research grants often allow universities to claim substantial indirect costs—up to 50 percent—covering administrative and facilities expenses, with little of that funding reaching the communities it’s supposed to support.
This contradiction highlights the irony of institutions that claim to champion equity while benefiting from systemic injustices.
The repercussions of white saviorism extend beyond funding, as the neoliberal framework perpetuates transactional and extractive research practices that stifle long-term partnerships capable of fostering social justice and healing.
Scholars have voiced the need to transition towards a human-centric and liberatory research model to dismantle these oppressive patterns tied to white supremacy and colonialism.
Even institutions publicly committed to social justice and CEnR often perpetuate exploitative practices, leaving community members and marginalized scholars in precarious situations marked by temporary contracts, little security, and few benefits.
This system fosters dependence on universities that exploit community labor while maintaining control over resources.
As Anne Cafer and Meagen Rosenthal point out, moral outrage typically drives fleeting involvement in community initiatives.
When CEnR fails to confront underlying power imbalances, it risks becoming just another tool of oppression masquerading as allyship.
Superficial partnerships can further alienate marginalized communities from academia, reinforcing existing hierarchies and social inequalities.
Raquel Wright-Mair and Samuel Museus note that the rigid power structures within academia can create apprehension, often silencing junior scholars of color from challenging systemic inequities.
These scholars may feel pressured to align their work with institutional priorities, compromising their well-being and mental health in the process.
The profit-centered ethos of neoliberal universities constrains justice-oriented research, prompting a urgent call to action for stakeholders in higher education.
In addressing these pressing challenges, we need to ask critical questions:
- What strategies can we employ to dismantle white-dominated initiatives that maintain dependency and oppression?
- How might institutions eliminate the ingrained white savior complex in their operations?
- What measures can we take to ensure equitable assessment of indirect costs in CEnR, safeguarding community needs from manipulation for grant attainment and institutional prestige?
The neoliberal academic context nurtures the white savior complex, commodifies community needs, and exploits individuals through short-term engagements that perpetuate systemic disparities.
Embracing a liberatory CEnR approach that prioritizes social justice is essential.
Key areas where we can drive change include:
- Adopting Transformative Practices: Scholars must critically reflect on their own positions and privileges and how these influence marginalized communities.
Institutions should honor the expertise of community members in shaping research priorities and outcomes.
Moreover, they must implement inclusive and culturally relevant methodologies that respect the languages and traditions of the communities involved.
Such steps can foster respectful, inclusive alliances that challenge oppressive academic systems.
- Ensuring Accountability: Funding organizations need to emphasize equity in representation and tangible benefits for communities rather than superficial metrics when evaluating CEnR projects.
Neoliberal universities should cease exploiting researchers from marginalized backgrounds through precarious contracts that perpetuate tokenism.
Funding bodies must mandate that universities actively recruit and support leaders, scholars, and students from marginalized communities with job security, creating authentic partnerships rooted in equity and shared authority.
- Eliminating Unpaid Labor: Uncompensated work perpetuates systemic injustices, especially for marginalized communities.
Ethical CEnR hinges on fair compensation, collaboration, and empowerment, ensuring that all contributors are treated with respect.
These principles lay the groundwork for advancing liberation and meaningful change.
To truly enhance CEnR in ways that support marginalized communities, we must dismantle the colonial, patriarchal, and exploitative foundations of higher education.
By embracing a transformative approach that prioritizes genuine representation, community priorities, and liberation over market-focused motives, we can set the stage for sustainable social change in an increasingly divided world.
Evelyn Vázquez is a community psychologist and the founder of Healing the Academy.
She recently contributed to the Research Handbook of Academic Mental Health (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024), particularly in Chapter 4, which highlights the significant, often overlooked mental health challenges faced by historically marginalized graduate and professional students.
Source: Insidehighered