Governing the Karimojong: Tradition, Modernity and Power in Contemporary Karamoja
by Karol Czuba
The complex gerontocratic governance system of the Karimojong, the largest ethnic group in Karamoja, was challenged in... more The complex gerontocratic governance system of the Karimojong, the largest ethnic group in Karamoja, was challenged in the second half of the twentieth century by the combined forces of the modernising Ugandan nation-state and undisciplined young men. The paper demonstrates that, although Karimojong power structures were substantially weakened during the period of great disequilibrium between the late 1970s and 2000s, recent years have seen their gradual reconstruction. Some traditional institutions have disappeared or declined, but the position of elders has been largely restored. Ekokwa, or an informal assembly, has partially integrated the state-imposed Local Council 1 structure and emerged as the new central political forum of the Karimojong. Karimojong culture remains in a state of flux and significant changes can be expected in the near future.
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Seen by:La Tierra sin Mal, una utopía anti-estatal americana
Navarrete Linares, Federico, “La Tierra sin Mal, una utopía anti-estatal americana”, en Símbolos de poder en Mesoamérica, Guilhem Olivier, coord., México, UNAM-IIH-IIA, 2008, .
Las dinámicas históricas y culturales de ciclos de concentración y dispersión en las sociedades amerindias
Navarrete Linares, Federico, “Las dinámicas históricas y culturales de ciclos de concentración y dispersión en las sociedades amerindias”, en Los pueblos amerindios más allá del Estado, Berenice Alcántara Rojas y Federico Navarrete Linares, coords., México, Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas-Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, s.f., pp. 169-199.

