Negotiating social change

Ugandan discourses on Westernisation and neo-colonialism as forms of social critique

Bibliographic Data

ID4860024
AuthorsJulia Vorhölter (0000-0003-1343-9920, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume50
Issue2
Pages283-307
Publication date2012-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Modern African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-278X • E-ISSN: 1469-7777
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0022278x12000055
OpenAlexW1965626570
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited17

A common claim, in public discourses and in post-colonial theory, is that colonialism, and more recently the aid industry and the media, have created global hegemonic norms, which have been enforced on non-Western societies. While this may be true in some respects, this article takes a different stance on the debate. It scrutinises perceptions of Western-influenced social change in Uganda, and differentiates between discourses on Westernisation and discourses on neo-colonialism. Both are analysed as forms of social critique - one internally and the other externally oriented. The largely elitist discourse on neo-colonialism is explicitly critical of the West and its interventions in Uganda. But it is not representative of the more ambiguous perceptions of Westernisation among 'ordinary' people, who use references to the West to comment on contemporary Ugandan society. The article is based on empirical research in Northern Uganda. It focuses on discourses on gender, kinship and sexuality, and the recent debate on homosexuality

Colonialism · Hegemony · Human sexuality · Modernization theory · Negotiation · Political science · Politics · Social change · Social science · Sociology · Westernization · African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Cultural Studies · Foucault, Power, and Ethics · Gender Studies · Law

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