My Research

Culture vs Constitution

While a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Kampala Uganda, I will be conducting research with the Women’s and Gender Studies department at Makerere University.  The research will focus on the culture of the Republic of Uganda and the constitution drafted in 1996 by the current government system in Uganda.  This research is meant to better understand how the culture and/or the constitution of Uganda have affected the roles of the women of Uganda today.  As a developing nation, Uganda has had many years of peace and is on the forefront of becoming more like South Africa.  The two countries have differing histories and slightly different cultures, however; the independent variable between the two countries is that colonialism and the reaction to the settlement of European nations has shaped the current social structure.  In the near future Uganda can be the example for countries stabilizing after years of instability and war.

Since Uganda could be a prime example for other African nations approaching a time of peace and creating resolutions to maintain the peace, it is important to understand how a country balances the need to keep its cultural identity and not conform to the Western ideals of an individualistic society.  It is also important to understand how a country can maintain culture and balance law and order without limiting civil liberties.  In order to better understand how Uganda has gotten to its peaceful state, the core research questions were designed to be open ended answers to account for other contingencies that the researcher may not have considered.  The core research questions are:

·         Did colonization or Ugandan culture/African norms affect the gender roles in society more than the other?

·         Does the Ugandan culture play more of a role in decision making and cause barriers for females who aspire to be policymakers?

·         Do the Ugandan laws facilitate females becoming more educated and becoming policymakers under the current affirmative action policies?

·         What would it take for the Ugandan government to better balance culture and law & order?

These four core questions will be used to analyze how law and culture affect gender equality and human rights in Uganda and potentially create a course of action for other developing African nations to follow.

                In order to answer the research questions, it is essential that I collect data through many social science methods which include small group forums of varying age groups and genders, surveys, interviews with female parliament members and research about the politics and culture of Uganda.  By comparing the responses of the small group discussions and previous research conducted by scholars, the researcher will better understand whether the Ugandan laws or culture have more of an effect on human rights/gender equality. For a more investigative analysis of the constitution and its effect on human rights and gender equality, I will be reviewing cases brought to the Supreme Court of Uganda that deal with equality, land rights or property rights, and cultural leaders in the community. Selecting those three topics will assist in the understanding of how the Supreme Court of Uganda interprets the constitution in regards to gender equality and human rights.  

                It is important to not ignore the role culture has on the law making process and interpretation of the law.  By the completion of this research, the results will facilitate the conversation of political scientist and peacekeepers in the field of conflict analysis to help negotiate international resolutions that may conflict with the culture and laws of a developing country.