Hotel Shanker, Lazimpat 23-25 July, 2025

About the Conference

The Annual Kathmandu Conference on Nepal and the Himalaya has been hosted by Social Science Baha since 2012 in collaboration with the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies, Britain–Nepal Academic Council, Centre for South Asian and Himalayan Studies (CESAH) & Japanese Association for South Asian Studies (JASAS). The objective of the conference is to provide a scholarly platform in Kathmandu to scholars working on various aspects of social life in Nepal and the Himalaya from the perspective of social science as well as the arts and the humanities.

Conference 2024

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Panel A1 | Borders of Hopes with India and China 9:00 -11:00

Opening Remarks and Chair
Nirmal Man Tuladhar, Chair, Social Science Baha

Discussant
Sanjay Sharma, Independent Scholar

Residents’ Perception towards Trans-Himalayan Mobility and Tourism Development: a case from Kyirong Valley of Sino-Nepal Border

Bade Qunzhu

Lecturer, Qinghai Minzu University, China; Ph.D. Scholar, Ethnography, Qinghai Minzu University, China

Beyond Politics and Diplomacy: A Dive into Local Sentiments of Both Nepal and India Surrounding the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project

Nabraj Lama

Research Scholar, Himalayan Strategic Institute

Night Life of Miss Budweiser and Mr. Dance: A Study of Nepalese Cross-Border Migrant Workers in Nangma Bar of Kerong, Xizang (Tibet)

Wu Di

Postdoctoral Researcher, Assistant Researcher, School of Ethnology and Sociology, Yunnan University, China

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel A2 | Livelihood at the Bottom of the Pyramid 11:30 am–1:30 pm

Chair
Sanjaya Aryal, Lecturer, University of Essex

Discussant
Sadikshya Bhattarai, Research Coordinator, Social Science Baha

Tea Production in Nepal: Smallholders’ Challenges and Their Experimentation with Farmer-Based Organisations

Sudhir Shrestha

Knowledge Management Officer, South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication; Visiting Faculty, Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM)

Livelihood and Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Applying in Lower-Great Himalayan Trail, Nepal

Rajan Binayek Pasa

Assistant Professor, Central Department of Rural Development, Tribhuvan University

The Life-World of Dalit in Lower-Route of Great Himalayan Trail in Nepal

Lila Bahadur Bishwakarma

Teacher, Kallery Secondary School, Dhading, Nepal

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel A3 | Learning and Growing up Experiences of Disabled and Youth 2:30–4:30 pm

Chair
Shiva Rijal, Lecturer in English, Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University

Discussant
Prem Phyak, Associate Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University

What Makes a Peer? Understanding Peer Dynamics in Kathmandu’s Youth Sector

Phoenix Kenney

PhD Scholar, University of Cambridge

Disability Is What Society Has Made Us: Cultivating Creative Methods to Centre Knowledge and Lived Experience of Marginalised Children in Nepal

Anna Hata

PhD Scholar, University College London, United Kingdom

Challenges Faced by Partially Visually Impaired English Language Learners and How they Overcame them

Sujit Maharjan

Researcher, Social Science Baha

Panel B1 | Rising despite the System 9:00 -11:00

Opening Remarks
Mahendra Lawoti, Member, ANHS

Chair and Discussant
Seira Tamang, Editor-at-large, SINHAS

Students as Policed Subjects: Language Policing and the Violation of Right to Speak in Schools

Prem Phyak

Associate Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, USA

The State of Policy and Practice on Complaint Response Mechanism and its Implication in Creating a Safe Learning Environment in Nepal’s Community Schools

Shak Bahadur Budhathoki

Lifelong Learning Mandala

The Good, Bad and Ugly Nationalism: Minority Nationalism Countering Hegemonic Racist Nationalism in Multi-Ethnic Nepal

Mahendra Lawoti

Professor, Department of Political Science, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel B2 | Negotiating Socio-Political Structures in a New Republic 11:30 am–1:30 pm

Chair
Lokranjan Parajuli, Senior Researcher, Martin Chautari

Discussant
Sabin Ninglekhu, Principal Investigator, Heritage as Placemaking, Social Science Baha

Exploring Structural Violence: Understanding Mental Suffering and Healing in a Caste-Based Society

Prakash B K

PhD Scholar, Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, USA

‘You Must Speak Yourself’: Resolving Complicated Cases of Civil Registration in Nepal’s Local Government

Xing Li

PhD Scholar, Department of Anthropology, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Participation of Executive Members vs General Members in Decision-Making of the Plan Implementation Process at the Local Level

Dipak Ghising

PhD Scholar, Rural Development, Tribhuvan University

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel B3 | Refugees and the Journey of Making a Home 2:30–4:30 pm

Chair
Ramawatar Yadav, Former Vice-Chancellor, Purbanchal University, Nepal

Discussant
Ranu Sherpa, Research Scholar, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi

Where is my Shangri-la? Conceptualizing the Idea of a Homeland in the Bhutanese Refugee Experience

Lopita Nath

Professor and Chair of History, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas

Diversity, Multi-Level and Mobility：An Ethnographic Study on Social Networks of the Tibetan in Nepal

HAI Lu

Lecturer & Research Associate, Institute of International Relations, JINAN University, Guangdong, China

Yu Yao

Lecturer, School of International Studies/Academy of Overseas Chinese Studies, JINAN University, Guangzhou, China

Development and Dilemma of Cultural Preservation in the Himalayas: Navigating Cultural Transformations

Smriti Shreya

PhD Scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi

Panel A4 | Folk Music as Expression and Memories 9:00 -11:00

Chair and Discussant
Hari Sharma, Executive Director, Purak Asia

Notating Sorati: Subi Shah’s Nepali Dance Notation, Ideas of Nationalism, and the Classical

Anna Stirr

Director, Centre for South Asian Studies; Associate Professor of Asian Studies, University of Hawaii Manoa

Spiritual Songs (mgur) in 17-18 th Century Dolpa, Nepal: Sub-Genres of Song Found in the Writings of Tadru Orgyan Tenzin (1657–1737)

Michael D. Smith

Researcher, Kathmandu University Centre for Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute (RYI)

At the Crossroads of Ritual and Commercial: Representation of ‘Dotiyal’ in Goril Devta Jagar from Uttarakhand

Chitra Rawat

Research and Operations Manager, India Migration Now

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel A5 | Women Stepping Out of the Shadows 11:30 am–1:30 pm

Chair
Sanjay Sharma, Independent Scholar

Discussant
Claire Willey-Sthapit, Assistant Professor, University of Kansas

Changing Life Pattern of Tribal Women: Kumaoni Bhotia of Uttarakhand

Lalita Waldia

Field Researcher

Navigating Social Leadership and Community Governance: Transitioning Community Leadership in Tharu Community

Rajendra Sharma

Senior Research Associate, Social Science Baha

Exploring the Socialization Process and Gender Construction among the Muslim Community of Kalaiya, Bara

Amir Raja

Research Associate, Social Science Baha; Lecturer, Madan Bhandari Memorial College, Kathmandu

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel A6 | (Un)Neighbourly Influences in Nepal 2:30–3:45 pm

Chair
Jacob Rinck, Postdoctoral Fellow, Asia Research Institute, NUS, Singapore

Discussant
Pranab Kharel, Member, Martin Chautari

Learning Chinese Culture: Implications of Soft Power among Nepali Students Studying in China

Niraj Lawoju

PhD Scholar, School of International Studies, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

China and India in Nepal: What Does it Entail?

Rajib Neupane

Research Associate, Social Science Baha

Break 3:45–4:15 pm

Panel A7 | Extremes of Digital Access 4:15–5:30 pm

Chair and Discussant
Sudeshna Thapa, Research Coordinator, Social Science Baha

Nepali Gurukuls Under Zoom Monitoring from Abroad: Lived Experiences

Rajendra Raj Timilsina

Neo-Sanskritization Explorer

Factors Associated with Smartphone Addiction Among High School Students in Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, Sunsari

Chhatra Bahadur Limbu

Researcher, Social Science Baha

Panel B4 | Precarity and Possibility: Transnational Migrant Labour, Life-Making & Legalities in Malaya/Sia 9:00 -11:00

Chair
Hema Kiruppalini, Research Fellow, Asia Research Institute, NUS, Singapore

Discussant
Slesh Shrestha, Independent Researcher

Precarity and Possibility: Transnational Migrant Labour, Life-Making & Legalities in Malaya/Sia

Sampreety Gurung

PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology, Cornell University

Hema Kiruppalini

Research Fellow, Asia Research Institute, NUS, Singapore

Jacob Rinck

Postdoctoral Fellow, Asia Research Institute, NUS, Singapore

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel B5 | Histories of Education in the Nepali Cultural World 11:30 am–1:30 pm

Chair and Discussant
Pramod Bhatta, Member, Martin Chautari

Histories of Education in the Nepali Cultural World

Rukh Gurung

Assistant Researcher, Martin Chautari

Pratyoush Onta

Research Director, Martin Chautari

Lokranjan Parajuli

Senior Researcher, Martin Chautari

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel B6 | Impacts of Constructing and Practising Beliefs

Chair
Sondra Hausner, Professor, University of Oxford

Discussant
Richard Bownas, Professor, University of Northern Colorado

The Social Construction of Boksi (Witch) in Tamang Community In Kavrepalachowk District

Sabin Bahadur Zoowa

Lecturer, Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences

Religiosity and Covid-19: A Study of Religious Practice in Kathmandu and Delhi

Akshay Balan

Field Representative, Worker Rights Consortium

Anisha Maini

Research Associate, StepChange

Avantika Jhunjhunwala

Researcher; MA Sociology, Delhi School of Economics

Avita Singh

Guest Faculty, University of Bhopal

Bibhuti Malla

Consulting Senior Associate, ERM India Pvt. Ltd

Srinjit Venkatesh

Research Analyst, Square Panda Education India

Break 3:45–4:15 pm

Panel B7 | Identity in Political and Literary Representations 4:15–5:30 pm

Desiring the State? Political Imaginaries in the Darjeeling Hills after the Gorkhaland Andolan of 2017

Rahul Ganguly

PhD Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Delhi, India

Literary Interventions of Cultural Identity: An Analysis of the Eastern Himalayas

Ranu Sherpa

Research Scholar, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India

Panel A8 | Gurkhas in a New Light 9:00 -11:00

Chair
Pratyoush Onta, Research Director, Martin Chautari

Discussant
Hema Kiruppalini, Research Fellow, Asia Research Institute, NUS, Singapore

Unbalanced Power: The Role of the British in the Polish-South Asian World War Two Relations

Paulina Stanik

PhD Scholar, University of Warsaw, Poland

To Partner and Influence? A Post-Colonial Approach to Dissecting the Historical Narratives about the Gurkhas

Chaaru Jain

Project Manager and Art Educator, Srijanalaya

Decolonising Fieldwork: A Methodological Turn in Social Research

Sanjay Sharma

Independent Scholar

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel A9 | Labour Regimes and Policy Change

Chair
Lopita Nath, Professor and Chair of History, University of the Incarnate Word

Discussant
Chaaru Jain, Project Manager and Art Educator, Srijanalaya

A Case Study of Gorkhali: Private Military and Security Companies in Global Security Assemblages

Tek Raj Koirala

PhD Scholar International Relation, South Asian University, New Delhi

Is a Win-Win Possible in International Recruitment and Mobility of Health and Care Workforce?

Sanjaya Aryal

University of Essex

The Power of Policy: How Immigration Policy Changes in Southern and Eastern Europe Reshape Migration Strategies and Inequalities in Nepal

Josef Neubauer

PhD Scholar, Department for Migration and Globalisation, University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel A10 | Of Journeys and Worldviews: Formation of Early Modern Consciousness in Nepal 2:30–4:30 pm

Chair
Komal Phuyal, Lecturer in English, Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University

Discussant
Abhi Subedi, Professor Emeritus, Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University

Of Journeys and Worldviews: Formation of Early Modern Consciousness in Nepal

Mahesh Paudyal

Lecturer, Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu

Komal Phuyal

Lecturer in English, Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

Shiva Rijal

Lecturer in English, Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

Panel B8 | Sajag-Nepal: Preparedness and Planning for the Mountain Hazard and Risk Chain

Chair
Alex Densmore, Professor, Durham University

Discussant
Janak Rai, Professor, Anthropology, Tribhuvan University

Sajag-Nepal: Preparedness and Planning for the Mountain Hazard and Risk Chain

Team Sajag-Nepal

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel B9 | Sajag-Nepal: Preparedness and Planning for the Mountain Hazard and Risk Chain

Chair
Amy Johnson, Assistant Professor, Georgia College and State University

Discussant
Katsuo Nawa, Professor of Cultural Anthropology, University of Tokyo

Sajag-Nepal: Preparedness and Planning for the Mountain Hazard and Risk Chain

Team Sajag-Nepal

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel B10 | Sajag-Nepal: Preparedness and Planning for the Mountain Hazard and Risk Chain 2:30–4:30 pm

Chair
Jeevan Baniya, Assistant Director, Social Science Baha

Discussant
Sumit Dugar, Resilience Adviser, UK FCDO

Sajag-Nepal: Preparedness and Planning for the Mountain Hazard and Risk Chain

Team Sajag-Nepal

Selected Presentation 2025

SN	Presenter/Affiliation	Abstract
1	Xinyue Yang PhD student in Tibetan History, Economics and Social Development, Center for Tibetan Studies of Sichuan University	“福运”: The Cultural Symbols of Tibetan Collectibles of Used Items
2	Pradip Raj Tiwari Tribhuvan University, Birendra Multiple Campus, Bharatpur, Chitwan	Social Transformation and Migration Dynamics: Intersectional Life Course Perspectives in Mid-Hill Region Nepal
3	Sadhu Ram Tamang GIZ Civil Peace Service	Dialogue in Preventing Nonviolent Conflict in Inter-Cultural Society in Siraha, Nepal
4	Paulina Stanik University of Warsaw	Gurkhas and the Great War Effort in the Suburb of Europe
5	Rojita Sharma Lecturer Sadichchha Shrestha Lecturer Krija Bajracharya Kathmandu University School of Arts	Documenting Traditional Games for Revitalization of Public Spaces of Bhaktapur, Nepal
6	Anjali Sharma Professor, Department of Education, Central University of Rajasthan Divyanshu Mishra Ph D Scholar In the department of Education at Central University of Rajasthan	Indigenous Wisdom for Climate Resilience: Climate Change Adaptation in Indo-Nepal Himalayas
7	Anjali Sharma Professor, Department of Education, Central University of Rajasthan Usha Chaudhary Research Scholar	Role of Procedural Fluency in Community Life of Indo – Nepal Himalayan Perspective
8	Anjali Sharma Department of Education, Central University of Rajasthan Megha Aggarwal Department of Education, Central University of Rajasthan	Legal and Constitutional Advancements for Transgender Rights: A Comparative Study of India and Nepal
9	Leena Sharma Central University of Gujarat	Rethinking Regions: Hip-Hop Narratives of Migration and Identity in Nepal Since 1980
10	U.N.K. Rathnayake PhD candidate in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India	Exploring the Introduction and Implementation of Western Medicine in South Asian British Colonies: A Comparative Experimental Study of Nepal and Sri Lanka (19th to 20th Century)
11	Kumud Rana Assistant Professor, Lancaster University	Transitioning Into the Third Gender in Nepal: The Politics of Recognition and Redistribution Within Trans/National Human Rights Regimes
12	Bade Qunzhu PhD student at Qinghai Minzu University, China Nao Erjilima Lecturer at Qinghai Minzu University	Social Integration of Cross-border Laborers in Sino-Nepal Border Economic Cooperation Zone
13	Komal Phuyal Lecturer (Senior Grade), Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal	Who Writes Bhaktapur? Reading Myth and History in Contemporary Nepali Literature
14	Mitra Pariyar Chair, Caste Watch Network (CWN)	Can Untouchability Be Eradicated from Nepal?
15	Lokranjan Parajuli Senior Researcher, Martin Chautari	Electoral Process and the Activities of the First Local Government of Nepal
16	Xuzi Pan Yunnan University	Business Across the Himalayas: Traditional Trade Networks and Modern Shifts in Nepal-Tibet Commerce
17	Gita Neupane Assistant Professor, University of Idaho Claire Willey-Sthapit Assistant Professor, University of Kansas	The Paradox of Men’s Perceptions of Sisters and Other Women in the Context of Sexual Harassments in Public Spaces in Nepal
18	Gita Neupane Assistant Professor, University of Idaho	Gender Policing, Everyday Resistance and Women Motorcycle Riders in Kathmandu
19	Sangeeta Mishra Assistant Professor, English, School of Liberal Arts, Noida International University	(Re)-Visiting Mithila Painting of Nepal: Artistic Tradition, Cultural Identity and Historiographical Perspectives
20	Bidhyalaxmi Maharjan Student, The Open Institute	Intergenerational Tensions and Tactics of Mediation in Single, College-Educated Nepali Women’s Leisure Travel and Tourism
21	Xing Li Department of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong	The Making of an Online System: The Transition of Civil Registration Practices in Nepal
22	Marie Lecomte-Tilouine Director of research at CNRS, LAS, Collège de France, Paris, France	Questions Raised by the Visual Anthropology of the Invisible
23	Mahendra Lawoti Professor, Western Michigan University	Comparing Executive Systems in Nepal, and Beyond
24	Niraj Lawoju Sichuan University PhD. Student	Study of Depiction and Understandings of Chinese Netizens About Nepal on Wechat Short Videos
25	Anne Kukucza Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies, University of Zurich	Working Towards the Dream: Hopeful Labour and Young Women’s Quest for Mobility in Urban Nepal
26	Binita Khatiwada Ratna Rajyalaxmi Campus Dipak Ghising Tribhuwan University	Economic Landscape and Challenges of Chhurpi Production Farmers
27	Andrew Haxby Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology	Scouting Europe: Labor Migration and Restlessness Amongst the Nepali European Diaspora
28	Neha Gauchan Project Manager at Udeshya Girls in STEM	Narratives from Thakali Women Living in Kathmandu: Exploring Self, Indigeneity, and Identity
29	Gaurav C Garg Ashoka University, India	Claiming Everest, Sharing Tenzing: Early Postcolonial Indians and First Successful Ascent of the World’s Highest Peak
30	Andreas Føllesdal Professor of Political Philosophy, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo Kåre Vollan Managing Director of Quality AS	The Nepali Federation – A Comparative Study
31	Steve Folmar Wake Forest University	Community Directed Health Programming in Lamjung
32	Stefania Duricova University of St Andrews, PhD Student / Independent Researcher and Curator	Curating Himalayan Art: Decolonising the Presentation of Non-western Culture in European Museums with a Focus on Musée National Des Arts Asiatiques Guimet
33	Wu Di Assistant Researcher, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Ethnology and Sociology, Yunnan University, China	The Trans-Himalayan Flow of Tibetan Salt: Salt-Grain Exchange Among Northern Tibetan Nomads from a Regional Perspective
34	Richard Bownas Professor of Political Science, University of Northern Colorado	The ‘Particization’ of Society: Nepal in Comparative Perspective
35	Dipen Bhattarai PhD Scholar, Tribhuvan University, Department of Social Work	Enhancing Youth Retention in Nepal Through Education And Employment Reforms
36	Amar B K Chair, Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies-Kathmandu Center Binita Nepali Graduate Teaching Faculty, Department of International Relations and Diplomacy, TU	Caste in Nepali Cinema: Questions of Dalit Representation, Consciousness, and Agency
37	Prakash BK PhD Student in the Department of Anthropology, The University of Notre Dame	Caste and Mental Health: Navigating Dalit Suffering and Resilience in Nepal

About the Conference

Conference 2024

Panel A1 | Borders of Hopes with India and China 9:00 -11:00

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel A2 | Livelihood at the Bottom of the Pyramid 11:30 am–1:30 pm

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel A3 | Learning and Growing up Experiences of Disabled and Youth 2:30–4:30 pm

Panel B1 | Rising despite the System 9:00 -11:00

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel B2 | Negotiating Socio-Political Structures in a New Republic 11:30 am–1:30 pm

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel B3 | Refugees and the Journey of Making a Home 2:30–4:30 pm

Panel A4 | Folk Music as Expression and Memories 9:00 -11:00

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel A5 | Women Stepping Out of the Shadows 11:30 am–1:30 pm

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel A6 | (Un)Neighbourly Influences in Nepal 2:30–3:45 pm

Break 3:45–4:15 pm

Panel A7 | Extremes of Digital Access 4:15–5:30 pm

Panel B4 | Precarity and Possibility: Transnational Migrant Labour, Life-Making & Legalities in Malaya/Sia 9:00 -11:00

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel B5 | Histories of Education in the Nepali Cultural World 11:30 am–1:30 pm

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel B6 | Impacts of Constructing and Practising Beliefs

Break 3:45–4:15 pm

Panel B7 | Identity in Political and Literary Representations 4:15–5:30 pm

Panel A8 | Gurkhas in a New Light 9:00 -11:00

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel A9 | Labour Regimes and Policy Change

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel A10 | Of Journeys and Worldviews: Formation of Early Modern Consciousness in Nepal 2:30–4:30 pm

Panel B8 | Sajag-Nepal: Preparedness and Planning for the Mountain Hazard and Risk Chain

Break 11–11:30 am

Panel B9 | Sajag-Nepal: Preparedness and Planning for the Mountain Hazard and Risk Chain

Lunch Break 1:30–2:30 pm

Panel B10 | Sajag-Nepal: Preparedness and Planning for the Mountain Hazard and Risk Chain 2:30–4:30 pm

Selected Presentation 2025

Conference 2025

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