Schoolwork: On being educated in eastern Uganda

In eastern Uganda ‘being educated’ is an identity work on throughout their lives. An educated identity is developed through joining committees, educating one’s children, or subscribing to a recognizable set of behaviors. Education is a ‘scaffold’ that can be built up or knocked down, related to, but broader than, experiences of going to school or being young. ‘Being educated’ has ongoing political advantages: those who are seen as more educated have a better time of things in disputes, in dealing with different authorities, and are more likely to benefit from government and NGO schemes. Examples from different social settings highlight the need for an ethnographically open, relationally aware, and politically attuned approach to what people are doing when claiming an educated identity.