Gender–age systems and social change: a Haugaardian power analysis based on research from northern Uganda

Some Gender Implications of the ‘Civilising Mission’ of the Anglican Church for the Acholi Peoples of Northern Uganda

“…Land was plentiful, so families would occupy as much as they could cultivate, the limiting factor being labour (Girling 1960;Kitching 1912, p. 147). This was a society in which age-based power relations predominated (Harris 2012a). Older men held political power, including control over access to land.…”

“…Moreover, as with other African cultural groupings (cf. Peel 2000, p. 90), the Acholi themselves saw religion as a foreign notion, using the Swahili loan word dini for both Islam and Christianity, while employing local terms for their 9 For more details of how these function see (Harris 2012a, 2012b, 2014and especially Harris 2016and Harris 2018. 10 These were later combined with the newly introduced notion of gender to form what I have termed a gender-age system (Harris 2012a).…”

“…Peel 2000, p. 90), the Acholi themselves saw religion as a foreign notion, using the Swahili loan word dini for both Islam and Christianity, while employing local terms for their 9 For more details of how these function see (Harris 2012a, 2012b, 2014and especially Harris 2016and Harris 2018. 10 These were later combined with the newly introduced notion of gender to form what I have termed a gender-age system (Harris 2012a). 11 This does not mean there was no sexual division of labour in Africa but rather that it was not based on an understanding of human physiology as inherently biologically fixed and dictating social performance, as by this time had come to be the case in Europe (Harris 2016).…”

“…Harris 2012aHarris , 2014, as well as by my understanding of the changes that had taken place as a result of Christianisation. My aim here is to contribute to knowledge about male-female relations in African societies as well as to how these were affected by the introduction of western gender ideology through colonialism and especially by missionaries.…”

Intergenerational Community-Based Research and Creative Practice: Promoting Environmental Sustainability in Jinja, Uganda

“…Although the literature on intergenerational practice in sub-Saharan Africa is still emerging (Ashton & Dickson, 2003;Cox & Chesek, 2012;Hoffman, 2003;Moller, 2010;Oduaran, 2014;Nyesigomwe, 2006;Roos, Hoffman, & Van Der Westhuizen, 2013;Vander Ven & Schneider-Munoz, 2012;Van Vliet, 2011), there remain considerable need and scope to develop intergenerational research, practice and policy in sub-Saharan African contexts in ways that reflect local realities and priorities, including in Uganda, where research points toward an entrenching gap between older and younger generations. Although often described as increasingly gerontocratic (Harris, 2012), Uganda has one of the youngest age structures in the world. Issues affecting children and youth are recognized as major development priorities, with elected officials regularly championing policies attractive to young people (e.g., tackling unemployment through job creation), fueling a sense of political marginalization among the older generation.…”