Security sector reform in Uganda: a critical-feminist analysis of defense and police reform, patriarchy and militarization

Abstract

Post-conflict security sector reform (SSR) has a mixed track record. A case inpoint is Uganda, where large-scale reforms were implemented with the goalof improving efficiency, professionalism, and civilian oversight. The Ugandansecurity sector is nevertheless widely known for politicized and excessiveviolence. Based on extensive fieldwork in Uganda and deploying a critical-feminist lens, this contribution shows that this is the case because reformsinteracted with the political, historical, and social context. Particularlyimportant here is how patriarchal gender relations and militarizationinteracted with SSR. This contribution finds that they shape what is thinkableand feasible in SSR and, in turn, are reinforced by reforms. As a result, SSR inUganda disenfranchised already marginalized groups while reinforcingauthoritarian and militaristic tendencies as well as patriarchal andheteronormative gender relations. For this reason, this contribution calls for acritical-feminist, emancipatory approach to analyzing SSR.