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Building Development Studies for the New Millennium pp 265–287Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Knowledge Production, Ownership and the Power of Definition: Perspectives on and from Sub-Saharan Africa

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Part of the book series: EADI Global Development Series ((EADI))

Abstract

The chapter engages with challenges facing genuine research collaboration and knowledge production in a North–South interaction with particular reference to Development Studies. It maps asymmetries in scholarly interaction generally and examines African realities specifically. Partnership limitations are critically explored by identifying some structural legacies resulting from centuries of Northern hegemony established in all spheres related to global affairs and interactions. It presents some thoughts on how these limitations might be reduced or eliminated in favour of a truly joint effort to work towards equal relations and mutual respect—also as an integral part of EADI’s agenda for Development Studies to contribute towards global partnerships. Special attention is given to the variety of views from within the African continent and African scholars elsewhere engaged in related debates.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Henning Melber

  2. Centre for Africa Studies, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

    Henning Melber

  3. Institute for Commonwealth Studies/Centre for Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK

    Henning Melber

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  1. Henning Melber
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Isa Baud

  2. Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Elisabetta Basile

  3. University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Tiina Kontinen

  4. European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes, Bonn, Germany

    Susanne von Itter

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Melber, H. (2019). Knowledge Production, Ownership and the Power of Definition: Perspectives on and from Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Baud, I., Basile, E., Kontinen, T., von Itter, S. (eds) Building Development Studies for the New Millennium. EADI Global Development Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04052-9_12

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