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The Cultures and Practices of Violence
Living with Bad Surroundings: War, History, and Everyday Moments in Northern Uganda
Winner, Margaret Mead Award, 2009 (American Anthropological Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology)
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.
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.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 8, 2010
It took me three months, but I finally finished the first book I started when I arrived in Uganda. My predecessor here left behind a few books, one of which was this one. It took me so long to get through it because it's very dense -- Finnstrom is a Swedish anthropologist who lived in Uganda on and off for several years, and he tries to weave together his interactions with northern Ugandans, particularly young people, with anthropological theory and somehow relate all of that to the underlying historical and political causes of the conflict. It's a bit jargon-y at times, and also a bit forced, for example when he quotes anthropological studies from other cultures and draws conclusions about northern Uganda from them. But, it was a useful book to start my learning process about northern Uganda, because he describes what it was like here before the conflict ended, when people were still in camps and the war was ongoing. Arriving here after the fighting stopped, most of the camps had been dismantled, and most of the people had returned home has made it a little hard for me to get a sense of what it was like and probably also gives me a false impression of the situation here. Certainly I have no benchmark to understand how much the situation has improved, which is what people who were here before and after have told me. The book is also interesting because Finnstrom explains a lot about Acholi traditions and cultural practices, for example the rituals that are used to reconcile families or clans after a conflict. Overall, probably not a good book for the average layperson who just wants to learn about northern Uganda, but aspects of it were quite interesting for someone like me seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics here.
July 29, 2015
A rich & nuanced ethnographic account of the conflict in Northern Uganda, with a particular focus on the experiences and views of the younger generation in Acholiland. Finnstroem skillfully highlights the political dimensions of a complex conflict that is often reduced to simplistic and sensationalist narratives. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of postcolonial Ugandan history - or to those interested in reading a thoughtful analysis of what "daily life" means in the midst of violence and insecurity.
October 28, 2008
Visited Gulu, Uganda and witnessed first hand the devastation of the Acholi people. THis book helped me understand the conflict in the area from both the LRA Rebels and the Uganda Army as well. Written by an anthropologist.
July 16, 2016
Finnstrom challenges the official discourse in one of the most notoriously conflicted regions of east Africa. More than anything, he asks the reader to consider that the situation is not so simple as we might wish it were--nobody is purely righteous and nobody is purely wicked.
December 5, 2012
An interesting person and a great effort. I can't imagine emersing myself or researching the way he does. Offers some great insights into Ugandan history and their current state of affairs. A must read for anyone interested in Uganda!
November 20, 2012
So anthropological. This book would have been good had I actually invested in it. It's the end of the semester. I'm sorry.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews