This fieldwork design depended on interviews and observation to collect data. There were structured interview guides that guided the interview session within Manyatta. The observation and participant observation provided rich results and unexpected fieldwork findings that establish an in-depth understanding of the survival in the post-disarmament situation in Kathile Sub-county in Kaabong district.
During this fieldwork, different approach were used to establishing the cultural norms, practices and context that may not be clear in the external natural human settings. It helped in focusing on interactive processes, events and genuineness behaviors that help to construct social reality and cultural significances in the natural setup. After getting relevant information with the elders/clan leader and LC about the current situation, with specified locations of Manyatta/villages to be visited, I made sure that the problem under investigation is undertaken from different dimensions which allowed multiple aspects of the phenomenon to be exposed and understood. Consequently, I gained the insight complexity of Dodoth community.
3.1.1 Field Engagements
During my field work in Kathile, I interviewed a total of 46 respondents both males (29) and females (16). Most of the field work was carried out in the month of Mid-August to 10th November 2015 as I used the first two weeks of August preparing for my field engagement.
The first field visit made was to make contact with the local leaders, permission to carry out data collection in the area and carry out pre-test of my interviews guide. At the end of August, I visited the research area 10 times and conducted interviews to the specific group of people depending on the precise knowledge they had in order to meet the deadline. I recorded the interviews made and noted down all the informal interviews conducted. Respondents were interviewed according to their roles they play in their Manyatta.
However, during the month of October 2015, I was engaged for a week in intensive research on land conflict and its effect on the implementation of food security projects in selected area of East Acholi District. This was a Caritas planned activities which equipped me further with data collection processes and techniques during the orientation workshop and actual data collection.
3.1.2 Study Population
My focus was on interviewing local leaders (elders), local security personnel, UPDF and local community affected by disarmament. The local leaders/elders in Manyatta are almost like semi-god to any Karimojong not specifically the Dodoth, so the study focused on them to seek permission to conduct interviews in their Manyatta and to establish their influence on the community commitments to the peace process. The local security personnels were once warriors and this was vital to define their roles and influence on community to shape their security. While the UPDF explain how they carried out the disarmament and the current security situation; the local community members were necessary to explore their survival strategies and underlying issues in the quest to protect their properties and restore their cultural glory.
3.2 Data collection tools
In a bid to collect sufficient and reliable primary data, a number of data collection techniques such as direct observation, participatory observation, purposive sampling, informal interviews and unstructured interviews, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were used to investigate and prompt respondents to speak up their mind.
3.2.1 Direct observation
During my field work, I used direct observations as a tool to collect data which included viewing activities like physical settings and characteristics of objects, cultural artifacts, communication pattern, behavioral cycles, sequential pattern in behavior, and discussion around the fire place within Manyatta in the evening, market days and leisure time. As supported by Marshall and Rossman (1989) who define observation as “the systematic description of events, behaviors, and artifacts in the social setting chosen for study” (Marshall and Rossman, 1989: 79; Kawulich, 2005: 1). Accordingly, it enable me experience casual explanations uncovering inward disagreement or agreement to the subject. I got involved in active looking to understand certain expression better, conceptualizing events to improve my memory, being patience with the respondents, jotting field notes during the course of interactions. I used to ask my interpreters on a particular gesture/expression displayed. My acceptance to put up in Manyatta also enable me observe the role each categories of people play, analyze their expression. It help me understand and know the inside issues and practices in their community.
3.2.2 Participatory Observation
As defined by Schensul, Schensul, and LeCompte (1999) participant observation is “the process of learning through exposure to or involvement in the day-to-day or routine activities of participants in the researcher setting” (Schensul, Schensul, and LeCompte, 1999: 91, Kawulich, 2005: 2). I used the participatory observation that necessitated interactive experiences during data collection through the building of a personal relationship with the local informants to gain a close understanding with the Dodoth cluster. The data collected were interactive free flowing information, as I became accustomed to the traditional norms that provided the basis for real description. I was able to observe some social milieus since I was part of it. I actively participated in day to day activities. I also observed the care people give to animals as their roles are defined based on age group.
To achieve my aims, I was very open and exhibited nonjudgmental attitude, I became more interested in learning their experiences and aware of the propensity for feeling cultural shock and making unnecessary mistakes, careful observations and a good listener yet open-minded to the unexpected of what is learned. In that way, I had to maintain a sense of objectivity throughout the fieldwork process. Establishing rapport within the community and portray a behavior that bend towards the community enable the members to act naturally. I later removed myself from the community settings and immerse myself in the data to understand what is ongoing and eventually be able to write. I created an observational template that help to code all necessary phenomenon in the field.
It was necessary for me to examine the pattern of daily activities carried out in the Dodoth community in Karamoja region. This helped to familiarize me with the culture and also gain trust to access and integrate with the Karimojong community. After getting integrated with the community and started learning from their daily experiences, passive participation was more prominent than before. This was enriched when I got involved in research with Caritas Gulu Archdiocese as they go to the field on a weekly basis, better techniques were adopted and deployed. I keep reports of daily activities which included field notes, own personal observations and experiences. All field notes were jotted and translated soon after field activities.
3.2.3 Purposive sampling
The use of purposive sampling method was vital in this data collection process. The population under study were categorized based on their specialized knowledge and experiences. This helped to ensure that the most eligible data sources/informants are chosen (Lisa, 2006:799).The informants for this study were UPDF army commanders, Local councilors, the clan leaders/Manyatta elders, community members and warriors who deal with security issues. Key informants were sampled from the local community itself that included female and male who explained their experiences. Gender balance was considered as women and men are jointly involved in welfare process in their community and they are all affected by disarmament process. However, non-probability purposive sampling was used to select key elements based on the issue at hand since, in Manyatta setup, there are the category of persons with precise knowledge on a subject because certain roles are not crosscutting. In other words, there were certain issues that would be explained best by elders not women like why and how traditional ritual are performed before heading to raiding mission.
3.2.4 Informal interviews and unstructured interviews
To my surprise, many people I interacted with either knows the basic English language or Acholi that enabled easy acquaintance. Many Acholi women are married to Dodoth clusters and other part of Karamoja too. This made my communication a little easier. I decide to use informal interviews especially when we were performing a particular domestic activity like cooking, preparing abutya- this helped me to understand some hidden issues that could not openly be said in public and personality of the person I was dealing with. I also used to ask the children who take care of calves, young goats and lambs why some calves are carried on their shoulder. Unstructured and informal interviews also gave me the insight of what I expected in the field and also helped me to restructure my questions and who to ask which questions. For instance, most women could not explain what happens before, in and after raiding but it was elaborated by the former warriors. During this unstructured interview, some respondents were freely expressing themselves and saying vital points worth taking. This enable a deeper understanding of the content of the study.
My interpreters and I used informal interviews especially in marketplaces and in the evening when people are resting, accounting for how their days had been. Thus, from these points informal interviews helped to get their opinion on survival strategies, some would recall what they used to do at that very particular point in time. All these gave me a leeway to collect vital data. Informal interviews involved all respondent categories in their natural settings.
3.2.5 Semi-structured interviews
Semi-structured interviews were conducted after sampling those whom I would have limited chances to meet them again especially the UPDF Commanders and some LCs, and it was based on my interview guide that provided elaborate answers to my research questions and also on what was the relevance of my respondents. Profoundly, Semi-structured interviews paved ways for an open conversation that enables the respondent to speak freely especially security personnel. As noted by Babie and Mouton (2001) “semi-structured interviews providing the prospect to ask questions in an open-ended style and to stimulate responses in a contemplative nature, it enable flexibility and the participants’ ideas guide the process†(Babie and Mouton, 2001: 291). This technique gave enough time for the respondent to account for their own experiences and perception without leading them. During this semi-structured interviews, all their views were recorded using the voice recorder to avoid all the possibility of loss of data that were not captured in the notebook that eventually supported a better and comprehensive analysis of the situation. The recorded data was transcribed after completion of the fieldwork data collection process.
3.2.6 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)
According to Ronald et al (2007), “Focus group discussion are interviews that rely on discussions within a group with the help of a moderator†(Ronald et al, 2007: 25). Thus, during this fieldwork in a bid to collect context-specific primary data, focus group discussions were employed so as to find out how people feel about disarmament processes, their survival strategies and their views on what should be done to manage the situation. A group of warriors freely discussed the ordeal of their life in pre, during and post-disarmament period. The women also were able to account for their trend of life before and after disarmament. The focus group discussion was relatively inexpensive and quick, therefore, it does not take time moving from one person to the other. It also aided towards obtaining accurate background information about their social life structures, small arms proliferations and disarmament process. Besides being a flexible investigative method of getting information, it is a great way to retrieve input, feedback and dialogue.
3.2.7 Review of secondary sources
Furthermore, I have reviewed most of the publications about disarmament from other parts of the world and in Karamoja region, published by scholars, ranging from books, journals, newsletter to internet sources; I also read some documentations from the Library and Caritas Office like Creating Conditions for Promoting Human Security and Recovery in Karamoja as part of Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development Programme
4. Field work Challenges
The first challenge I faced was the inaccessibility of different Manyatta due to bad road network especially when it rained. The soil becomes so slippery that the motorcycle being used could not ride. Sometimes rain gets us in a place where there is no shelter to take cover, as a result I walked for 20km on a badly weathered day. Excessive rainfall was the major obstacle in that all valleys would get filled up within a short time blocking the passage. As a result, the transport cost became very high.
On the other hand, the time was too short to generate more silent underlying information within their community. This is true because, by the time the community members got acquainted with my presence, my return date to Denmark was due.
I used to meet challenges in finding the respondents at home even if it is on appointment because the respondent could have changed his/her programme without notifying me, sometimes urgent issues to discuss could have emerged within or in the neighboring community, therefore, I had to reschedule my programme again. This happened many times.
I lived in Manyatta every day for the weeks of my research activity but I faced a challenge of places of convenience like a lavatory. Generally, almost every places I visited in Kathile had Poor sanitation and hygiene within Manyatta (see Annex 3). I slept in a filthy house without the door shutter. Besides, I spent the sleepless night because I had to sleep on the hide without mosquito net. I couldn’t carry my own beddings except bed a sheet because I had to be like them. The water itself was not safe for drinking and for taking a bath. This situation brought in reality the interconnectedness and interdependency of human insecurities based on the seven components of human security. I had controlled emotional stress due to this inconveniences caused by absent of sanitation facilities.
I had to take Abutya – the local brew that is taken by all Karimojong lineage although the taste was unusual to me for the sake of belongingness besides, their food were half cooked, half roasted meat and water was not safe for drinking in most places.
Another challenge was that some community members declined to be interviewed for the reasons not specified and I respected their views. The respondent refused for their photographs to be taken because of security reasons. I had to be closed to local security personnel to wipe out all forms of suspicions.
The aspect of Language barriers was also paramount as I know only a few words. In this respect, I am very sure communication gap existed that could not make me get the exact expression the way I should have understood if I knew the language better than the way the interpreters was translating.
5. Analytical Framework
The data collected during this fieldwork was based on Life with neighbours without Guns with the focus on community security among the Dodoth cluster in the post-disarmament situation in Kathile Sub-county, Kaabong District, in Uganda.
The fieldwork was guided by the objectives mentioned in the earlier section with the intention of understanding survival strategies employed by the Dodoth cluster in the pre and post-disarmament with a closer look at the alteration in their socio-cultural set up within their communities.
To achieve a deeper understanding of what disarmament entails and its impacts, I reexamined various relevant literature as background material so as to have a foundation on which appropriate arguments and conclusions can be reached. Also, the study critically linked disarmament process and its effect to the component of human security i.e. economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, community security and political security (Shahrbanou and Chenoy, 2007:15; UNDP, 1994: 24) taking in to account community security as a central point to connect other human security components and draw conclusions on the insecurities caused by disarmament process.
The field notes were handwritten beside the recorded voice as a raw data collected that will eventually be organized and used for analysis. It comprises of jotted notes that will be reminder to all specific things when it came to final thesis writing. I took some direct observational notes, recording what I saw which were relevant to the interview guides. As I was targeting the sense of the culture and environment, I also made sure that I took note of only important points. A voice recorder has been a better, more accurate means to capture all data because I was able to record every word said although no physical expression could be recorded. It seems that my respondent feel different about the use of this appliance but specific consent was sought before using these technologies. These collected raw data will be transcribed to generated facts findings with support from literature reviews, these transcribed data will be interpreted to assess the findings against criteria.
6. Ethical considerations
Although I was aware of the distressing and provoking situations without first-hand field experience that may arise, I was not adequately prepared psychologically for ethical challenges entrenched in community until I encountered problems in the field. Therefore, to guarantee the success of my fieldwork, I had to consider and follow several ethical codes of conduct. Before I started interacting with the vast community members, I had to present letter from Caritas Gulu archdiocese and fieldwork contract from Aarhus University to the person(s) with authority in Manyatta that included clan elders, LC and some group leaders in which I together with my interpreters s informed them about the research and its purpose to proof that it is academic research to be carried. I shared sufficient information about my research topic. This put my presence to rest and solid relationship was realized. I constantly introduced myself as researcher. All the respondent were assured that all the information given, their identity would remain confidential and privacy was observed hence most of their responses remained anonymous.
To avoid skeptical reactions from my respondent, I avoided video recording because the respondents did not want it for security reasons instead I recorded their voice with their consent of which I would review it with my interpreters in privacy for further explanation especially word(s) expressed in Nyakarimojong.
As earlier on discussed in the section of gaining entry and establishing rapport section, I had connection from Nagolopak village in Akurumo parish to a family in Lokwapo village and other villages for assistance I needed in this data collection. I also ensure that the process of data collection followed the principles of “voluntary participation and informed consent for participation†(Babie and Mouton, 2001). Preservation of anonymity of the participant will be upheld till the final thesis write up to prevent identity. Although some respondent accepted for their identities to be used, I did not opt to describe my respondent since the village is a small area in which every member is known to each other so it will be easy for the local community to identify the from such specified detailed description.
The most sensitive cultural norms that the community members had to accommodate is a woman sitting close by in the fire place in the evening when men (warriors)/elders are discussion sensitive community issues. In that case, I sat in their company because my position in the community was define. Since women are not allowed to sit on traditional stool, I sat on the goat skin as my mat and since the purpose for which I was there is clear, it was negligible.
The community members were from time to time part of my data collection process which I started by obtaining cultural approval to conduct research; and I ensured that the interview guides addresses issues of great importance only to dodoth community in Kathile Sub-county. I intend to share my report with the community leaders in the area.
Being a researcher also demands for good conduct. During the process, I always upheld respect and honesty as long as I addressed my respondents. Furthermore, I treated all respondents equally regardless of gender, age, appearance or social status. While asking them questions, I made sure that they were asked in a manner such that they could not raise emotions or bias.
7. Final Master Thesis Focus
The Master thesis will focus on the life with neighbours without guns among the Dodoth cluster in the post-disarmament in Kathile Sub-county, Kaabong District and it will solely be guided by the research questions and the reviewed literatures. The data collected will guide my argument on the current state of human security in Kathile Sub-county with a central argument on how community security facilities other components of human security ,besides the transcribed data will be coded and analyzed so as to come up with arguments, answers and conclusion of the research questions.