Research Participation in a (Conflictual) Field of Relationality Concerning Farmers and Pastoralists in Northern Uganda

Exploring Accountability within the System

Authors

Keywords:

Culturally-attuned research, Indigenous relational conflict resolution, dialoguing towards reconciliation, expressions of interdependence, enacting relationality

Abstract

Conducted in the post civil-war context of Northern Uganda, this study explored certain land-related conflicts between farmers and pastoralists using a transformative and Indigenous paradigmatic lens. By drawing on an Indigenous relational ontology, a dialogic and participatory research approach was employed. This involved four focus group discussion sessions with 53 participants overall. In addition, two follow up community workshops for the purpose of knowledge sharing, validation and dissemination were conducted. In doing this, the study explored how relationally-directed dialogue could engender mutual understanding and support conflict transformation in the region. The key findings indicate that the dialogic engagement enabled participants to recognize interdependencies, reframe adversarial narratives and co-develop contextually-grounded strategies for coexistence which includes improved land management practices, communication mechanisms and culturally-informed norms of interaction. In the paper we, explain our accountabilities (along with the research participants/co-researchers) as hoping to constructively influence the dynamic of relations. That is, we understood that we ourselves were interwoven in the (changing) system of relations through our involvement.

Author Biographies

Dr Francis Akena Adyanga, Kabale University

Dr Francis Akena Adyanga is an Associate Professor at Kabale University. He also doubles as the Dean of the Faculty of Education. Additionally, he is a Research Associate at the College of Education, University of South Africa. He is a scientist with extensive teaching and research experiences in Indigenous knowledge, education for sustainable development, equity and diversity in education, education in emergencies and post emergencies contexts, and social justice education. He has authored numerous articles in high impact journals as well as book chapters in edited books. In the field of academic citizenship, Francis is the Associate Vice President of the Society for the Advancement of Science in Africa (SASA), a not-for-profit scientific organisation. For details on his publications see: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=giiGeCEAAAAJ&hl=en

Norma Ruth Arlene Romm, University of South Africa, Department of Adult Education and Youth Development

Professor of Adult Education and Youth Development, University of South Africa

Published

2026-06-18

Issue

Vol. 70 No. 1 (2026): Proceedings of the 70th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences

Section

2026 Full Paper