Magic, Religion, and Electoral Politics in Uganda

Abstract

As a typical case of the intertwining of "modernity" and "tradition" in post-colonial African countries, Uganda's "spiritual politics" provides a key entry point for analyzing the construction of legitimacy of power in post-colonial societies. Its cyclical elections clearly reveal that modern democratic procedures, cloaked in "popular sovereignty," transform the suppressed indigenous belief system of the colonial period into an implicit logic of power operation through political mobilization, elite competition, and media discourse. The inherent contradictions and ineffective enforcement of the colonial legacy, the Law of Magic, further highlight the limitations of modern rule of law in the face of deeply rooted spiritual worldviews. Uganda's "spiritual politics" is a co-production of "indigenous cosmology" and "modern state-building." These two clashed during the colonial period and evolved into a unique "dual power system" after independence. In the postcolonial era, the identity paradox and behavioral paths of Ugandan political elites between their public "modern" identity and private "traditional" practices reflect the long-term and complex nature of "modernity" on the African continent. Examining this phenomenon can provide important theoretical insights for understanding the diverse forms of state-building, democratic consolidation, and even political legitimacy in postcolonial societies.