I am a Zimbabwean born scholar of political science. I study factors that influence party survival and democratization in the developing world. As aN Assistant Professor of Africana Studies, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, I teach Political Sciences classes on African Politics and Democratization in the Developing World.

I completed my Bachelor of Science Degrees in Political Science and Psychology at Linfield College, OR. I earned my Ph.D. in Political Science, 2015 at Georgia State University under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Young. My doctoral dissertation and subsequent book manuscript is on the impact of voter exit (via emigration or withdrawal from politics) on the survival of dominant parties. For this work, I interviewed 300 Zimbabweans in four countries.

My new research is on the relationship between African politics and social media in all its varieties.

My passion for politics grew out of observing the changing and challenging political landscape in my home country of Zimbabwe. I am also inspired by the experiences of my mother who raised me as a single woman at a time when most Africans frowned at the idea of divorce, her work as a trader between Zimbabwe and South Africa, and her stories about migration spanning from the 1950s to today. I have also benefited from listening to hundreds of migrants some who have voluntarily shared their journeys with me and those I have worn out with my excessive questions.

When I am not teaching and writing about politics I read novels, watch TV and do yoga.