The Role of Personal Identity in Human Development

Contributing to the capability and human development literature, this article suggests that personal identity—defined as a person’s recognition of her value—is the crucial element for local actors’ agency. We report the results of a qualitative study in Kampala, Uganda, which examines the experience of a grassroots development organisation in promoting health and wellbeing among vulnerable people. Findings show that personal identity has served to catalyse local actors’ agency, becoming the basis for a constructive and lasting transformation of the study group’s socioeconomic circumstances. In light of these findings, we discuss the potential for the experience to be translated across other development contexts.