The History of Dictatorship: Custom, Authority, and Power in Precolonial and Colonial Uganda

IF 1.9 2区 社会学 Q1 AREA STUDIES Africa Spectrum Pub Date : 2023-01-18 DOI:10.1177/00020397221149037
Yahya Sseremba
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

Intervening in the enduring debate on the origins of the African state, this article examines the processes of producing custom in the Ugandan societies of precolonial Bunyoro and colonial Toro to trace the development of despotism. The participatory nature of generating customary truth in Bunyoro before European domination reflects the diffusion of power in a manner that hindered absolute rule. On the contrary, in colonial Toro, the inclusive mechanisms for making custom gave way to customary law produced by the colonial government and its native chiefs. This monopoly to determine customary law disguised as custom constituted the heart of the despotism of Toro Native Authority. Derivatively, the Rwenzururu resistance against Toro domination equally assumed a despotic character because it organised itself along the logic of the authority it confronted. The study interrogates the resurgent literature that associates the contemporary African state with precolonial history.
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独裁的历史:习俗、权威和权力在前殖民和殖民乌干达
在关于非洲国家起源的持久辩论中,本文考察了前殖民地Bunyoro和殖民地Toro的乌干达社会中习俗的产生过程,以追溯专制主义的发展。在欧洲统治之前,在Bunyoro产生习惯真理的参与性质反映了权力的扩散阻碍了绝对统治。相反,在殖民地的托罗,创造习俗的包容性机制让位于殖民政府及其原住民酋长制定的习惯法。这种将习惯法伪装成习惯的垄断决定了托罗土著权力机构专制主义的核心。从根本上讲,鲁文祖鲁鲁对托罗统治的抵抗同样具有专制性质,因为它是按照所面对的权威的逻辑组织起来的。这项研究质疑了将当代非洲国家与殖民前历史联系在一起的复兴文学。
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来源期刊
Africa Spectrum
Africa Spectrum AREA STUDIES-
CiteScore
4.50
自引率
10.00%
发文量
17
审稿时长
6 weeks
期刊介绍: Africa Spectrum is a peer-reviewed, Open Access journal published since 1966 by the GIGA Institute of African Affairs (IAA) in Hamburg. It is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to scientific exchange between the continents. It focuses on socially relevant issues related to political, economic, and sociocultural problems and events in Africa, as well as on Africa''s role within the international system. There are no article processing charges payable to publish in Africa Spectrum. For more than five decades, Africa Spectrum has provided in-depth analyses of current issues in political, social, and economic life; culture; and development in sub-Saharan Africa, including historical studies that illuminate current events on the continent. Africa Spectrum is the leading German academic journal exclusively devoted to this continent and is part of the GIGA Journal Family. The journal accepts Research Articles, Analyses and Reports as well as Book Reviews. It also publishes special issues devoted to particular subjects.
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