Dr. Sylvia Tamale is a Ugandan feminist lawyer and academic based in Kampala, Uganda. She was elected as the first female Dean of Law at Makerere University in 2004.  She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Makerere University, a Masters from Harvard Law School and a PhD in Sociology and Feminist Studies from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Tamale founded and serves as coordinator of the Law, Gender & Sexuality Research Project, and was also instrumental in introducing the Policy on Sexual Harassment at Makerere University. She has lectured at several universities, including Cape Town, Pretoria, Wisconsin and Zimbabwe.

Dr. Tamale has published widely on a variety of topics, including her groundbreaking book, When Hens Begin to Crow: Gender and Parliamentary Politics in Uganda (Westview Press, 1999).  In combining academia with activism, she adopts a critical approach to the law that aims at enhancing students’ transformative personal growth and action.  Dr. Tamale has won several awards for her work in defending the rights of marginalized groups such as women, sexual minorities and refugees.