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Spiritual Pollution, Time, and Other Uncertainties in Acholi

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Spiritual Pollution, Time, and Other Uncertainties in Acholi Ghostly Vengeance: Spiritual Pollution, Time, and Other Uncertainties in Acholi by Letha Elaine Victor A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology University of Toronto © Copyright by Letha Elaine Victor 2018 Ghostly Vengeance: Spiritual Pollution, Time, and Other Uncertainties in Acholi Letha Elaine Victor Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology University of Toronto 2018 Abstract This dissertation is an ethnography that describes problems of spiritual upset in northern Uganda, where the repercussions of recent war (1986—2008) intermingle with older legacies of colonial and post-colonial violence. Based on 14 months of fieldwork in the Gulu and Amuru Districts of the Acholi sub-region, it describes spiritual effects and affects in ordinary life, encompassed by what many Acholi people understand in the concept of “dirty things,” or ajwani. The pollution of ajwani manifests in phenomena such as cen (sometimes interpreted as ghostly vengeance), malevolent spirit possession, misfortune, premature death, and other uncanny problems with unclear or uncertain causes. The ethnography shows that while ajwani can be broadly understood as the manifestations of spiritual pollution caused by transgressions of a moral order, this order—or orders—is the site of myriad epistemic and ethical collisions. The thesis thus considers how transgression is variously understood in Acholi, and how ghostly vengeance and other dirty things act as contextual, contingent, and subjunctive phenomena through time. The work features interlocutors of varied religious !ii orientations and social positions, and shows how they consider spirit forces to be subjunctive —be they living or dead, human or extra-human. It further suggests that the contingency of ghostly vengeance and other dirty things points to the ways in which the distress such phenomena cause, and the timely responses they demand, provoke and reflect immanent and imminent ethical challenges in Acholi. In so doing, the thesis contributes ethnographic exposition to the anthropological literatures on violence, ritual, social repair, and authority in post-war Acholi; haunting, religiosity and Christianity(ies); contemporary witchcraft and conspiracy; and ordinary ethics. !iii Acknowledgments The following ethnography is the product of many years’ worth of instruction, generosity, mentorship, conversation, collaboration, friendship, and love. Without the support of the following people and groups, this project would not have come to fruition—and for that I am truly grateful. Foremost, I am deeply thankful to all the people in Atiak, Gulu, and all the places in between for welcoming me into their communities and homes, and who tolerated my fumbles and mistakes with encouragement and good humour. Though you will not find your real names used throughout this work, I trust that you will find your invaluable thoughts and contributions faithfully reflected within the content. I thank the residents of Atiak sub-county, in particular the women’s and men’s massacre survivor groups, the rwodi, atekere, ludito, and megi, local councillors, leaders, and clergy who all made space for me within their busy schedules and routines. To the alumni, students, and teachers at the schools I have called Palapir and Holy Cross, thank you for your patient responses to my repeated questions, and for the time you took with me to discuss difficult and sensitive issues. Mr. Nyero and Laber, I am especially grateful to you for holding me in your confidence and for extending the hand of friendship. To Daniel, who spent countless hours giving me lessons in leb Acholi, made me laugh, and entertained my endless requests for translations both petty and profound, an apwoyo matek. To Anena, Anywar, Lanyero, and their families and friends, you have consistently filled my belly with beans and my head with your thoughtful insights. I offer !iv you my deep thanks, lurema. As for Okidi, you are wise beyond your years and my most trusted lapwony. I simply could not have done this work without you, and I hope our friendship and conversation continues for years to come. Since we first met in Gulu, Martha Lagace has been my steady friend and exceedingly generous interlocutor, while my Co, Sophie Seebach, has been equally giving of her warmth, expertise, and selfless intellectual advice. I’m grateful to Nancy Rydberg for serving as a model for my scholarly aspirations, and feel especially blessed that she and Kevin Gibbons always met me with cheer and encouragement, even when I was feeling less than cheerful or encouraged. Okello Benard assisted me greatly with transcription work despite his own academic deadlines. Thank you as well to Holly Porter and the JSRP team, as well as Henni Alava, Asunta Nyirach, and Mette Kusk: you are all fantastic thinkers and great friends. Jessika Tremblay began this journey with me in a Uhaul truck barrelling out of Montreal, and has been an unfailingly loyal friend and insightful colleague for nearly a decade (and hopefully many more to come). Seth Palmer, whom I first met in our tiny shared office at 19 Russell Street, also quickly became a fast friend. Seth, you have been a constant source of much-needed hilarity, inspiration, and joy in my life, and a kind and thoughtful collaborator to boot. Thank you as well to Tori Sheldon and Sandy Oh, whose mutual enthusiasm for life has been an important counter to my in-born pessimism. Arie Molema and Kate Rice have always known when to tell me I need a break, and, from the position of post-doctoral life, have provided important perspective when I’ve needed it. You two are the best. To Hannah Mayne and Ori Werdiger, thank you for your friendship and always-gentle !v suggestions on my work. Hannah, you have saved me from more meltdowns than I can count. Further heroes in the labour of keeping me on an even keel are living saints Joey Youssef, Sarah Williams, and Chris Ball, who are not intimidated by tears. Thanks for always having confidence in me and coming to my aid. I also owe thanks to William Hébert, Sarah O’Sullivan, Celeste Pang, Gloria Perez Rivera, Anna-Louise Crago and Katrina Peddle, for many happy, conspiratorial, and collegial conversations. To Ric Duncombe, Kate von Achen, Isaac Kasamani, and Catherine Kemigisha, thanks for the good times in Kampala and for being pals from abroad through thick and thin. Carla Suarez, Jill Van Gyn, Vivian Wong, and Jesse Jenkinson have also provided open ears and shoulders to lean on, for which I’m forever grateful. Thanks to Gretchen Bakke for good advice on writing and on life, and to Mélanie Chaplier, Amber Silva, and Anne-Elise Keen for sharing in the ups and downs of the academic path. Anna Chablinskaia, Kate Burtis and Ross Bullen, Natalie Kaiser and Steve Richter, and Amy Waschenfelder and Lev Bubis have all made Toronto home for me, pampering and indulging throughout some of my most difficult days. Gina and Jordan Frank have been devoted and life-long friends from afar, and even paid for my counselling when texting jokes back and forth wasn’t cutting it. Meanwhile, Jill Gregory-Ames has been my close confidante no matter where she is in the world, as well as my most trusted editor, and I can’t wait to go on holiday with her some day without a computer. Thanks, friends. A host of lovely people saw to it that I had homes away from home at different points throughout the research and writing process. Mary Hanlon and Marco Morelli graciously !vi offered me a bedroom and happy distractions in Edinburgh, Laura Beach invited me to a peaceful retreat in Xàvea, Rhoderica Chan and Mike Wall repeatedly spoiled and put me up in London, and on multiple occasions Hanna Kienzler and Cees Van Dijk gave me a refuge at their home in Crystal Palace (also in London). Kelly Vassie, Adam Barnard, and the whole Vassie family took amazing care of me in both Spain and the UK. Koreen Reece took me writing-and-rambling in Scotland, and taught me more about kinship than I ever thought I wanted to know. Koreen, you are an unusually brilliant scholar and a sheer delight. Koreen and I also shared close quarters as fellows of the Centre for Ethnography at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, and I am especially graceful for the mentorship that Donna Young has offered me since 2011. Michael Lambek and Todd Sanders, my co- supervisors, have been steadfast in their support of my writing and ideas, and have generously opened many intellectual and professional doors for me. I feel extremely fortunate to have had you as such attentive supervisors. Girish Daswani, Katie Kilroy-Marac, and Jack Sidnell have also provided encouragement and helpful commentary on different portions of this thesis, as has Amira Mittermaier, in her capacity as the most recent leader of the Department of Anthropology’s thesis writing group. I am especially grateful to my fellow participants in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 groups for the generosity of their time and feedback. I also want to thank the Department’s Graduate Administrator, Natalia Krencil, for always working her bureaucratic magic on my behalf. At the Jackman Humanities Institute, I was fortunate enough to hold a fellowship under the sage direction of Alison Keith and Kim Yates, and had the privilege of participating in stimulating, generative, and supportive discussions with all the JHI fellows in 2017-18. I am most thankful for the opportunity. !vii My research and writing was generously supported by grants and fellowships from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research (grant 8874), the Richard F. Salisbury Award from the Canadian Anthropology Society (CASCA), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, the Centre for Ethnography at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, the Jackman Humanities Institute at the University of Toronto, Visa, and the Bailout-Bank of Mom and Dad.
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