Center for African Studies

The Working Group on Institutions and the State in Africa and the Center for African Studies are pleased to invite all interested faculty and graduate students to attend to our upcoming virtual research presentation:

Speaker

Dr. Rebecca Tapscott, Fellow Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy at the Graduate Institute in Geneva

Talk Title

Arbitrary States: Social control and authoritarianism in Museveni’s Uganda

Date & Time

Monday September 20 @ 3-4 PM

Attend on Zoom.

Talk Abstract

Unlike the despots of the past, known for arbitrary violence and direct rule, today’s authoritarians use the rule of law. Many of these regimes even cultivate democratic institutions: elections, separation of powers, and institutions designed to promote transparency and accountability. This has puzzled scholars – how can authoritarians survive in contexts of democracy, however imperfect or partial? This question is even more pronounced in lower-capacity states where the ruling regime may lack the capacity to reliably suppress political opposition and public dissent. Based on 10-months of field research between 2014 and 2018, this book examines authoritarianism from below, showing how some regimes use pervasive political unpredictability to maintain control in the face of democratic institutions and weak state capacity. It explores how the Ugandan state uses local violent actors including militias, vigilantes, and community policing initiatives for everyday governance, while denying these actors the ability to consolidate local authority that would allow them to challenge the state. The book speaks to global debates on authoritarian institutions and the rule of law to examine how today’s authoritarians are increasingly asserting themselves through seemingly democratic institutions.