In this chapter, we provide a short historical overview of the development of engaged scholarship in the three contexts which are the center of the book (South Africa, United States and the Netherlands). We thereby aim to contextualize the different experiences with critically engaged research presented in this book. How did these contexts shape the (im)possibilities for scholars who critically engage with social justice and transformative research to establish critical research streams? To historically map contextual differences, we reviewed seminal works regarding the development of engaged scholarship in relation to the political developments in each context. This historical comparison shows that in all three countries, engaged scholarship entailed an alliance with social movements, however the contexts differed in the type of social movements. Comparing country-based developments also illuminates specific epistemological practices and methodologies in each country. Despite the differences, we reflect on contemporary cross-continental convergences that influence academia worldwide, such as the tension between, on the one hand, the neoliberal focus on individual academic success and, on the other hand, new waves of commitment to slow science and knowledge co-creation with communities.