The Violence of Peace: Ethnojustice in Northern Uganda

Abstract

Traditional justice, or what this article refers to as ‘ethnojustice’, claims to promote social reconstruction, peace and justice after episodes of war by rebuilding traditional order. Ethnojustice has become an increasingly prominent mode of transitional justice in northern Uganda. As such interventions multiply throughout Africa, it is essential to probe their political and practical consequences. This article situates ethnojustice theoretically within the broader discourse, practice and institutions of transitional justice, and historically within the reaction against orthodox liberal transitional justice from within the industry. Through an engagement with ethnojustice texts and interventions in the Acholi region of northern Uganda, the article argues that ethnojustice can end up extending forms of unaccountable, patriarchal power within Acholi society, funded and supported by the Ugandan state and international donors. In addition to underpinning this project of social discipline, ethnojustice also benefits the Ugandan state in its effort to avoid accountability for its violence during the war.

Between kastom, church and commercialisation: Reconciliations on Bougainville as a form of ‘transitional justice’?

“…Bougainville women were highly influential actors in peacebuilding (Havini and Sirivi 2004;King 2009). 19 For a critique of 'ethnojustice', including customary reconciliation, see Branch (2014), who argues that this type of justice consolidates 'a patriarchal, gerontocratic order' (p. 616) and 'empowers older men at the expense of youth and women' (p. 619).…”

Marriage as a Connector: A Conversation about Spatial and Temporal Scales of Partnership and Self-accomplishment in Kenya and Uganda

“…While post-conflict re-settlement has been far from straightforward (Whyte et al 2014), Gulu has been the site of a bustling post-war economy. At the same time, the discourses of the peace process emphasising "traditional" forms of justice (Branch 2014), resettlement and "return home" also, I think, has shaped a shift in popular culture. During my fieldwork in 2009/10 in Gulu, the city soundscape was dominated by American and local hip hop.…”

The Trial of Thomas Kwoyelo: Opportunity or Spectre? Reflections From the Ground on the First Lra Prosecution

“…This article paints a complex picture of ‘the local’ in transitional justice, too often described in simplistic and homogeneous terms. In his study of northern Uganda, Branch critiques what he calls the ‘ethnojustice’ approach to accountability: the notion that ‘Africans’, regardless of context, possess an ‘unspoken, unanimous worldview’ on these issues (Branch 2014: 614). Our findings add further empirical weight to this critique: post-conflict perspectives on justice and redress are marked by heterogeneity rather than by consensus.…”