Making Resources in Northern Uganda
Susan Reynolds Whyte has edited a Special Issue of the Journal of Peace and Security Studies. Her Introduction and the five articles consider resources as both material and immaterial means available to achieve an aim. The resources they cover range from personal capacities like youth energy and focus, to human resources like prison labour and voter perceptions, to cultural legacies inspiring poetry, to economic resources like compensation for war losses. All kinds of assets can become resources when they have a potential or actual use. Looking at resources in this way raises the question of how specific assets become useful. They are not simply ‘out there’ as ready-made resources. They become resources in a social context that includes, on the one hand, their production, cultivation, and management and on the other, particular needs or purposes. Therefore, the collection is entitled ‘Making Resources’.
The contributors are all faculty members at Gulu University whose PhD research was supported by the Building Stronger Universities project. The Department of Anthropology is a long-standing partner in BSU with particular commitment to one of the overall BSU themes: ‘Rights, Resources and Gender’.
The special issue is open access at Journal of Peace and Security Studies