CHUSS Seminar #5 A Historical Perspective of the Dynamics of Terrorism in Uganda, 1976– 2015

This study historicises the terrorism debate in Uganda between 1976 – 2015 and is intended to rethink the evolution of the meaning of the term terrorism, causes, manifestations and state responses to terrorism by examining the alternative approaches, in part provided by the Critical Terrorism Theory (CTT), to the predominant understanding of terrorism provided by The Orthodox Terrorism Theory (OTT). It presents a critical and discourse analysis approach to the understanding and explaining the historical usage of the concept, its causes, manifestations and state responses with an initial focus on the explanation and description of the Orthodox Terrorism Discourse, clarifying how and why it is constructed the way it is, and the implications it has for researching and understanding terrorism. The purpose is to develop a nuanced explanation to the understanding of terrorism from a historical perspective thereby providing a reflexive critique of the commonly held explanations of the OTT. This is not intended as a new theory of terrorism but rather a broader, comprehensive and holistic approach to the understanding of terrorism. To test this comprehensive framework for understanding terrorism, the study examines the 1976 Entebbe Incident, Atiak Massacres, 1996-1999 bombings, 1998 Kichwamba Massacre, and the 2010 Kampala bombings and discusses how the state and non-state terrorism can be re-examined through the application of the CTT.

The study found that Uganda has experienced three types of terrorism: state terrorism, non-state terrorism and international terrorism manifested through bombings, hostage-taking, kidnapping and abductions, assassinations and arson. This study concludes that the conceptualisation of the term terrorism is beyond the limits of the two theories, but CTT provides a better explanation.

Presenter: Zaid Sekito, PhD History, Makerere University
Chairperson: Dr. Charlotte Mafumdo, History Dept, Makerere University

Date: 
Friday, October 2, 2020 - 14:00
Event Venue: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMof-qorD8jH9KIV66Gb39MFEpav4G7v9mj
College/School: 
Contact Information: 
Sarah N. Ssali, PhD | DEAN, School of Women and Gender Studies | Director, ARUA Centre of Excellence in Identities | Tel: +256 772663772 | Twitter: @sssalie | Orcid: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5678-1868 | Skype: sarah.ssali
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