‘Othering the Other’: Emergence of autochthony claims and community engagement in Ugandan oil producing communities

Abstract

Studies of autochthony usually differentiate between claims of first comers (autochthons) and late comers. This classification is pertinent to claims of originality over territories, rights over land and access to opportunities associated with landed resources. Debates on autochthony are also often linked to state formation, democratization and economic globalization. In this paper I analyze these issues in Western Uganda where discovery and exploration of commercially viable oil and gas resources has triggered autochthony claims within and across communities. I draw on original empirical data collected by means of in-depth interviews, participant observation and focus group discussions. The analysis shows that opportunities and benefits associated with the oil and gas discoveries have engendered considerable internal migration, which in turn has affected social order and power relations in the oil producing communities. As economic activities in the oil industry intensify, local communities have been subjected to relocation, increased economic and political competition, all of which have combined to engender increased sense of originality and entitlement. I conclude by reflecting on how these autochthony claims foster politics of exclusion but also present opportunities that can be harnessed to maximize inclusive relations in the region and avert emergence of large-scale oil-related violence in Uganda.