Homosexuality in Perspective - A Critical Discourse Analysis of the debate on homosexuality in Uganda

The proposal of the Anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda in 2009 led to a situating of Uganda as the focal point for an international debate on the rights of same-sex people. This thesis uses Critical Discourse Analysis to analyze the debate in relation to discursive and social practice. The thesis argues that the varied perspectives and assertions in the debate form part of three operating discourses: the humanitarian discourse, the national identity discourse and the neo-colonial discourse. These discourses reflect some of the dynamics of power that exist between Uganda and the Western world. The debate on homosexuality thus serves the purpose of a lens, which is used to explore relations of power between the West and Uganda. The relations of power are understood through the theoretical framework of post-colonial theory