Navigating the Transition: An Ethnography of Women's Political Agency in South Sudan, 2021–2026

This ethnographic study examines the evolving political agency of women in South Sudan during the critical period of 2021–2026, a timeframe encompassing the formation of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity and the lead-up to the nation’s first post-independence elections. It investigates how women navigate and assert political influence within a persistently patriarchal and conflict-affected state, despite constitutional guarantees and peace agreement provisions for inclusion. The research employs immersive ethnographic methods, including longitudinal participant observation and in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with women politicians, civil society activists, and community leaders across Juba and two selected states between 2023 and 2025. The findings reveal that women’s political agency is predominantly exercised through informal networks and kinship systems. These operate as crucial, yet often unacknowledged, platforms for coalition-building, resource mobilisation, and advocacy, particularly when formal political channels are restrictive or inaccessible. The analysis argues that these informal strategies constitute a resilient and culturally embedded form of political praxis, enabling women to sustain tangible influence amidst ongoing instability and stalled institutional reforms. The study’s significance lies in its nuanced, African-centred analysis, which challenges externally imposed metrics of political participation. It highlights the endogenous, adaptive mechanisms South Sudanese women employ to shape their political landscape, thereby contributing a deeper understanding of agency within fraught transitional contexts.