After Rape

Holly Porter is a Research Fellow at the Department of International Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and lead researcher for the Justice and Security Research Programme in northern Uganda, where she has lived and worked for over ten years. Dr Porter's research has focused on gender, sexualities and sexual violence, war and violence, and local notions of healing and justice. Her work has been published in journals including Africa, the Women's Studies International Forum, and the Journal of Eastern African Studies.

• Figures; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. Life and participant reflection in northern Uganda; 3. Rape, wrongdoing and justice; 4. Acholi love: sex and social belonging; 5. Consent and rape: when does 'no' mean no?; 6. Social harmony and the space between local solutions and formal judicial system; 7. Mango trees, offices and altars; 8. Comparing the aftermath of civilian and combatant rape; 9. Conclusion: medicine and lightning; References.

'This is a remarkable book on rape and justice in northern Uganda, based on the kind of fieldwork that is only possible when the researcher lives for a decade in the same communities she researches, speaks the local language and builds deep trust with her respondents. Porter combines this incredible empirical depth with provocative insights on sex, violence, and justice that extend far beyond the Ugandan case to inform some of today's most pressing debates in politics, law, gender studies, and anthropology. The book also inspires new thinking on the most appropriate methodologies for grasping complex inter-personal dynamics in conflict-affected communities.' Phil Clark, University of London