In this dissertation, I draw on research carried out at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Tanzania in 2008 to examine Tanzanian academics' experience with research throughout the history of this institution. This dissertation is designed as an historical case study and investigates how economic and political changes in Tanzania's post-independence history have affected Tanzanian intellectuals and their ability to produce both nationally and globally relevant knowledge. African intellectuals, while a part of a larger academic community, have also expressed a specific and keen responsibility to the development of their post-independence societies. The objective of this research is to understand how Tanzanian scholars at UDSM have situated themselves in terms of broader ideas about the role of African intellectuals in their own societies as well as in the global community of academe. Due to the unique course that the country followed after achieving independence, as well as the role its charismatic first president, Julius K. Nyerere, took in implementing a highly ideological framework for national development, Tanzanian academics and the University of Dar es Salaam make a particularly interesting case to examine. This study addresses the question: What happens when a distinctly national university formed within a clearly articulated post-colonial socialist vision intersects with liberal market reforms? It traces the tension that academics at the University of Dar es Salaam have felt between a commitment to national development and a commitment to participation in a global community of scholars. During the early years of the university, I contend, global ideologies and a commitment to national development converged, meaning that UDSM scholars were able to simultaneously contribute significantly to the global debates on socialism and to national development in Tanzania. However, with structural adjustment and drastic changes to the country's political and economic situation, as well as other shifts on a global level, the ideologies that Tanzanian scholars had supported were marginalized in some cases and the University's ability to determine research priorities was significantly impacted. In the end, this is the story of one research institution's continued battle for social, political, and economic relevance. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]