Contructivism, instrumentalism and the rise of Acholi ethnic identity in northern Uganda

Abstract

Worldwide, two broad theories have been used to explain the rise of ethnic identities. These are the natural/biological theory of primordialism and the man-made/situational theory of constructivism. Overtime, each of the two theories has been split into several sub-theories. This research sets out to determine the relevance of the theories of constructivism and instrumentalism in the rise and metamorphosis of the Acholi ethnic identity in northern Uganda. Using ethnography and grounded theory, the researcher established that the Acholi ethnic identity, which has occupied a centre stage in the national politics of Uganda since independence in 1962 [Atkinson, R. R. (1994). The roots of ethnicity. The origins of the Acholi of Uganda. Kampala: Fountain Publishers], emerged due to extraneous factors and some teleological choices making the theories of constructivism and instrumentalism quite relevant to its evolution.