Political Biography and the Agency of Audience.

This article examines *Development as Rebellion*, a comprehensive three-volume biography of Julius K. Nyerere authored by three Tanzanian scholars and published in 2020 by Mkuki na Nyota in Dar es Salaam. The work illustrates how the interaction between authors and their primary Tanzanian audience, shaped by the intellectual traditions of the University of Dar es Salaam’s "Dar es Salaam School," influences the construction and meaning of nationalist biography. The biography critically assesses Nyerere’s leadership, highlighting his rejection of dogmatic Marxism, his failure to address domestic class conflict, and the complexities of his socialist policies within Tanzania’s political and social context. The article situates this biography within broader debates about African studies scholarship, emphasizing the importance of African audiences in shaping knowledge production and challenging the dominance of Western academic frameworks.