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AbstractWhy does public trust in traditional leaders vary dramatically across African countries? This article argues that trust in traditional leaders is higher in cases where: (1) the French colonial authority did not interfere in traditional structures and allowed leaders to operate outside of the colonial apparatus (as opposed to the British practice of augmenting the authority of traditional leaders to extract on behalf of the Crownwithinthe colonial structure); (2) leaders in the post-independence era were not hostile towards traditional leaders; and (3) citizens believe traditional leaders play a positive role in meeting local needs vis-à-vis contemporary elected officials.

ABSTRACT
Who produces knowledge on 'African politics'? Within political science, our understanding of politics in Africa is overwhelmingly shaped by non-Africans who spend most of their time far removed from Africa. This reality has serious consequences for the academic community, policymakers, students and citizens across the world. Using a new data set of undergraduate syllabi and doctoral exam reading lists, this article sheds further light on this knowledge production and instruction problem and provides suggestions for how we might redress this problem. In doing so, we can generate more nuanced understandings of governance dynamics that are centred on African voices and perspectives.

AbstractAcross academic disciplines, the knowledge that is produced and taught about International Development overwhelmingly comes from writers and academics who are from (and based in) the Global North. This phenomenon has major consequences for students, scholars, development practitioners and donors across the world. Drawing on data from university course syllabi and a small sample of faculty interviews, this article sheds further light on this reality and delineates some of the most significant challenges. Finally, we highlight efforts to address this problem and how others can contribute to improving our understanding of historically contingent and complex development processes across diverse contexts.