Living with Bad Surroundings

War, History, and Everyday Moments in Northern Uganda

Nonfiction, History, Africa, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book Living with Bad Surroundings by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne ISBN: 9780822388791
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: February 20, 2008
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
ISBN: 9780822388791
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: February 20, 2008
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

Since 1986, the Acholi people of northern Uganda have lived in the crossfire of a violent civil war, with the Lord’s Resistance Army and other groups fighting the Ugandan government. Acholi have been murdered, maimed, and driven into displacement. Thousands of children have been abducted and forced to fight. Many observers have perceived Acholiland and northern Uganda to be an exception in contemporary Uganda, which has been celebrated by the international community for its increased political stability and particularly for its fight against AIDS. These observers tend to portray the Acholi as war-prone, whether because of religious fanaticism or intractable ethnic hatreds. In Living with Bad Surroundings, Sverker Finnström rejects these characterizations and challenges other simplistic explanations for the violence in northern Uganda. Foregrounding the narratives of individual Acholi, Finnström enables those most affected by the ongoing “dirty war” to explain how they participate in, comprehend, survive, and even resist it.

Finnström draws on fieldwork conducted in northern Uganda between 1997 and 2006 to describe how the Acholi—especially the younger generation, those born into the era of civil strife—understand and attempt to control their moral universe and material circumstances. Structuring his argument around indigenous metaphors and images, notably the Acholi concepts of good and bad surroundings, he vividly renders struggles in war and the related ills of impoverishment, sickness, and marginalization. In this rich ethnography, Finnström provides a clear-eyed assessment of the historical, cultural, and political underpinnings of the civil war while maintaining his focus on Acholi efforts to achieve “good surroundings,” viable futures for themselves and their families.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Since 1986, the Acholi people of northern Uganda have lived in the crossfire of a violent civil war, with the Lord’s Resistance Army and other groups fighting the Ugandan government. Acholi have been murdered, maimed, and driven into displacement. Thousands of children have been abducted and forced to fight. Many observers have perceived Acholiland and northern Uganda to be an exception in contemporary Uganda, which has been celebrated by the international community for its increased political stability and particularly for its fight against AIDS. These observers tend to portray the Acholi as war-prone, whether because of religious fanaticism or intractable ethnic hatreds. In Living with Bad Surroundings, Sverker Finnström rejects these characterizations and challenges other simplistic explanations for the violence in northern Uganda. Foregrounding the narratives of individual Acholi, Finnström enables those most affected by the ongoing “dirty war” to explain how they participate in, comprehend, survive, and even resist it.

Finnström draws on fieldwork conducted in northern Uganda between 1997 and 2006 to describe how the Acholi—especially the younger generation, those born into the era of civil strife—understand and attempt to control their moral universe and material circumstances. Structuring his argument around indigenous metaphors and images, notably the Acholi concepts of good and bad surroundings, he vividly renders struggles in war and the related ills of impoverishment, sickness, and marginalization. In this rich ethnography, Finnström provides a clear-eyed assessment of the historical, cultural, and political underpinnings of the civil war while maintaining his focus on Acholi efforts to achieve “good surroundings,” viable futures for themselves and their families.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book The Fantasy of Feminist History by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book Bring on the Books for Everybody by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book From Silver to Cocaine by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book Empires of Vision by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book The Creolization of Theory by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book Second World, Second Sex by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book Reconstituting the American Renaissance by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book Governing Gaza by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book Eating the Ocean by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book Cultural Studies 1983 by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book Ghost Protocol by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book The Left Side of History by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book Seeing the Unspeakable by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book En-Gendering India by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
Cover of the book Hegel and the Freedom of Moderns by Sverker Finnström, Neil L. Whitehead, Jo Ellen Fair, Leigh A. Payne
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy