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AbstractNorthern Uganda is in transition after the conflict that ended in 2006. While its cities are thriving and economic opportunities abound, the social institutions governing land access are contested, the land administration system is changing, and the mechanisms available to address conflicts over resources have themselves become a venue for authority claims. This article examines the intergenerational nature of land conflicts in northern Uganda, focusing on the interplay of customary law, return migration and the development of a market in land. There are three contributions to existing literature: (1) a discussion of children's property rights under customary and statute law in Uganda; (2) the identification of the dual nature of children during complex emergencies as both victims and agents; and (3) an addition to knowledge on post-conflict return and community reconstruction. Evidence comes from several sources, the most important of which are a set of interviews conducted in Gulu and Kampala in May and June 2015. Secondary sources augment the field research, particularly survey research conducted in northern Uganda after the conflict.

Abstract: Northern Uganda is in transition after the conflict that ended in 2006. While its cities are thriving and economic opportunities abound, the social institutions governing land access are contested, the land administration system is changing, and the mechanisms available to address conflicts over resources have themselves become a venue for authority claims. This article examines the intergenerational nature of land conflicts in northern Uganda, focusing on the interplay of customary law, return migration and the development of a market in land. There are three contributions to existing literature: (1) a discussion of children’s property rights under customary and statute law in Uganda; (2) the identification of the dual nature of children during complex emergencies as both victims and agents; and (3) an addition to knowledge on post-conflict return and community reconstruction. Evidence comes from several sources, the most important of which are a set of interviews conducted in Gulu and Kampala in May and June 2015. Secondary sources augment the field research, particularly survey research conducted in northern Uganda after the conflict. Résumé: Le Nord de l’Ouganda est en transition après la période de conflit qui s’est achevée en 2006. Les villes sont en plein essor et les opportunités économiques abondent, mais les institutions sociales qui régissent l’accès à la terre sont contestées, le système d’administration des terres est en mutation et les mécanismes disponibles pour pallier les conflits liés aux ressources sont euxmêmes devenus un espace de revendication d’autorité. Cet article examine la nature intergénérationnelle des conflits de terres dans le Nord de l’Ouganda, en s’intéressant à l’interaction du droit coutumier, de la migration de retour et du développement d’un marché foncier. Il y a trois contributions à la littérature existante : (1) une discussion des droits fonciers des enfants en vertu du droit coutumier et législatif en Ouganda; (2) l’identification de la double nature des enfants dans les urgences complexes en tant que victimes et en tant qu’agents; et (3) un complément à la connaissance sur le retour et la reconstruction communautaire après un conflit. Les données viennent de plusieurs sources dont la plus importante est une série d’entretiens menés à Gulu et à Kampala en mai et juin 2015. Les sources secondaires renforcent la recherche de terrain, notamment la recherche par enquête effectuée dans le Nord de l’Ouganda après le conflit.

Customary law is an alternative legal framework to statute or public law. In the past, the existence of customary law was viewed as problematic due to the uncertainty which accompanies legal pluralism. Increasingly, scholars are recognizing legal pluralism as simply a reality to be negotiated, rather than a problem. One frequently proposed solution to the difficulties posed by the existence of customary law is to write it down, or ascertain it, in order to provide for legal certainty. This article addresses this goal in three parts. The first part describes customary law and how it functions in its uncodified form in post-colonial settings, specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. While customary law thrived under colonization, it merely survived socialism where it was often explicitly undermined. The second part of the article details the reasons why scholars and public officials have often suggested writing customary law down as a solution, and situates these arguments within the contemporary debate on legal pluralism. In the third section, a specific case of written customary law, the Albanian Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini, is analyzed with a focus on its modern usage in a post-socialist context. The paper concludes noting that ascertainment does not bring legal certainty to customary law in the ways that are anticipated. Writing down an oral tradition or a practice may produce a document for reference, but this does not limit its use nor necessarily increases the predictability of its application. The article also emphasizes the role of customary law in defining group identity in post-socialist settings.