About 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, the Centre for Himalayan Studies-CNRS (since 2015) & Nepal Academic Network (Japan) (since 2016). 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.
Dates to remember
Submission deadline for abstracts and panels: 15 January 2020
Notification of paper and panel acceptance: 15 February 2020
Deadline for registration by paper presenters: 30 April 2020
Final papers due: 3 July 2020
Conference dates: 29-31, July 2020
All participants, including panel chairs and discussants, will be required to register to attend the conference. Participants are expected to make their own arrangements for travel and accommodation and those requiring a letter of support to seek travel grants to attend the conference can write to the Conference Secretariat.
The structure of registration fees is as follows:
Nepali and other South Asian students: NPR 3000
Nepali and other South Asian professionals: NPR 4500
Non-South Asian students: USD 60
Professional, including South Asians, living outside South Asia: USD 95
(An early-bird discount of 20 per cent will be provided to those who register by 24 June 2020.)
Participants whose papers are selected will be required to register for the conference by 30 April 2020 to ensure inclusion of their paper in the conference.
Conference 2019
Panel A1 9–11 am
Urban Growth: Change and Livelihood
Opening Remarks and Chair
Krishna Adhikari, Chair, Britain–Nepal Academic Council
Discussant
Shangrila Joshi, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, USA
Break 11–11:30 am
Panel A2 11:30 am–1:30 pm
From Epicentre to Aftermath: Ethnographic and Historical Views of Post-Earthquake Nepal (double panel)
(Convener: Jeevan Baniya, Social Science Baha)
Chair
Ramjee Parajulee, Department of Political Studies, Capilano
University, Canada
Discussant
Stefanie Lotter, Senior Teaching Fellow, SOAS, London
Lunch 1:30–2:30 pm
Panel A3 2:30–4:30 pm
From Epicentre to Aftermath: Ethnographic and Historical Views of Post-Earthquake Nepal (double panel)
Chair
Nabin Rawal, Lecturer, Central Department of Anthropology,
Tribhuvan University
Discussant
Dinesh Paudel, Appalachian State University, USA
Panel B1 9–11 am
Memorialising Nostalgia and Loss
Opening Remarks and Chair
Nirmal Man Tuladhar, Chair, Social Science Baha, Kathmandu,
Nepal
Discussant
Michael Hutt, Professor, SOAS, London
Break 11–11:30 am
Panel B2 11:30 am–1:30 pm
Informed Policies: Insights and Evidence
Chair
Janak Rai, Associate Professor, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University
Discussant
Arjun Kharel, Research Coordinator, Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility, Social Science Baha
Lunch 1:30–2:30 pm
Panel B3 2:30–4:30 pm
Mediating Development: Clients and Agents
Chair
Thomas Robertson, Executive Director, Fulbright Nepal
Discussant
Dannah Dennis, Hamilton College, New York
Panel A4 9–11 am
School Education in Nepal: Planning and Practice
Chair
Dyuti Baral, Social Science Baha
Discussant
Lok Ranjan Parajuli, Senior Researcher, Martin Chautari, Kathmandu
Break 11–11:30 am
Panel A5 11:30 am–1:30 pm
Colonialism: Historicising the Subaltern
Chair
Michael Hutt, Professor, School of Oriental and African Studies,
University of London
Discussant
Hema Kiruppalini, National University of Singapore
Lunch 1:30–2:30 pm
Panel A6 2:30–4.30 pm
Stigma: Changing the Narratives
Chair
Madhusudan Subedi, Professor, Central Department of Sociology, Tribhuvan University and Patan Academy of Health Sciences
Discussant
Amar BK, PhD Candidate, University of Pittsburgh
Panel B4 9–11 am
Dignity without Danger: Collaboratively Analysing Stigma and Taboos to Develop Innovative Strategies to Address Menstrual Exclusion in Nepal (Convener: Sara Parker, Liverpool John Moores University)
Chair
Bindu Pokhrel
Discussant
Meera Mishra
Break 11–11:30 am
Panel B5 11:30 am–1:30 pm
Community Institutions: Old and New
Chair
Suresh Dhakal, Central Department of Anthropology,
Tribhuvan University
Discussant
Pritisha Shrestha, Syracruse University, New York
Lunch 1:30–2:30 pm
Panel B6 2:30–4.30 pm
Disaster and Suffering: Ascendency of Resilience
Chair
John Whelpton, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Discussant
Jeevan Baniya, Assistant Director, Social Science Baha
Panel A7 9–11 am
Nepali Women: Struggles for Autonomy and Agency
Chair
Dipak Gyawali, Social Science Baha
Discussant
Neeti Aryal Khanal, Central Department of Sociology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Break 11–11:30 am
Panel A8 11:30 am–12:50 pm
Violence: Understanding its Forms and Consequences
Chair
Katsuo Nawa, Professor of Cultural Anthropology, The University of Tokyo
Discussant
Sudeshna Thapa, Research Associate, Social Science Baha
Lunch 1:30–2:30 pm
Panel A9 2.30–3.50 pm
Children’s Needs: Moving beyond Rights
Chair
Mitra Pariyar, Leverhulme Research Fellow, Kingston University, London
Discussant
Aidan Seale-Feldman, Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer Bioethics Program, University of Virginia
Panel A10 4 pm–5.20 pm
Mixed Panel
Chair
Richard Mitchell, Brock University, Canada
Discussant and Closing Remarks
Dipak Gyawali, Social Science Baha
Panel B7 9–11 am
Transitions: Meeting Aspirations and Expectations
Chair
Seira Tamang, Independent Researcher
Discussant
Sanjaya Mahato, Independent Researcher
Break 11–11:30 am
Panel B8 11:30 am–12:50 pm
Borders and Boundaries
Chair
Nabin Rawal, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Discussant
Rupak Shrestha, PhD Candidate, Department of Geography, University of Boulder, Colorado
Lunch 1:30–2:30 pm
Paper Presenters
| SN | Presenter/Affiliation | Abstract |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanjaya Aryal PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology, University of Essex | Beyond Empowerment and Exploitation: Care Chain of Transnational Migratory Nepali Women |
| 2 | Ravindra Nyaupane PhD Candidate, Swansea University, UK Mike Pretious Senior Lecturer in Management, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh Suvash Khadka University of South Wales, UK | Issues in the Development of Community-Led Tourism in Nepal–the Example of Dhorpatan |
| 3 | SeSe Ma Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University, Japan | Centering Himalayan Stray Dogs: Reframing the Narrative of Non-Human Being Subjectivity and Agency |
| 4 | Nabin Maharjan PhD Candidate, Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, Ontario, Canada Richard C. Mitchell Professor of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, Ontario, Canada | The UNCRC and Global Childhoods: Transdisciplinary Reflections from Nepal |
| 5 | Jeevan Baniya Assistant Director, Social Science Baha Tracy Ghale Senior Research Associate, Social Science Baha Nilima Rai Research Associate, Social Science Baha Amit Gautam Research Associate, Social Science Baha Lacchindra Maharjan Save the Children, Nepal | Why Children Matter: Vulnerabilities and Needs of Children in Disasters |
| 6 | Anup Shekhar Chakraborty Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Political Studies, Netaji Institute for Asian Studies, Kolkata, India | Enduring Islam and ‘Muslimness’ in Trans- Himalayas: Some Reflections from the Case of the Gorkha Muslims and Tibetan Muslims in the Eastern Himalayan Town of Darjeeling, India |
| 7 | Yangchen Dolker Research Associate, Social Science Baha Khem Raj Shreesh Social Science Baha | Summer Farmers, Winter Traders: Loba’s Adaptation through Changing Socio-Political Times |
| 8 | Harsha Man Maharjan Researcher, Martin Chautari, Kathmandu | From Media Accountability to Violence: Audience Participation and Opposition in the Proposed LED Bulb Procurement Episode on Social Media |
| 9 | Lata Gautam Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK Agatha Grela University of West London, UK Jaya Satyal & Sharad Gajuryal Annapurna Neurological Institute and Allied Sciences, Nepal | Understanding the Nature of Sexual Assault Cases in Nepal Through a Forensic Lens |
| 10 | Sara Bertotti PhD Student, SOAS, London | Translating Hybridity and Change: The 2006 Comprehensive Peace Accord of Nepal |
| 11 | Chiranjibi Bhandari Assistant Professor, Department of Conflict, Peace and Development Studies, Tribhuvan University | Revisiting Ex- Combatants: Past Assumptions and Present Realities |
| 12 | Bhim Narayan Regmi Lecturer, Central Department of Linguistics, Tribhuvan University, Nepal | Additional Official Language Policy of Nepal: A Review |
| 13 | Amar BK PhD Candidate, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA | Autonomy, Gender, and Women’s Suffering in Nepal |
| 14 | Sanjaya Mahato Independent Researcher Pooja Chaudhary Advocate affiliated with the Nepal Bar Association Dogendra Tumsa & Bipin Upadhyaya Statistician, Social Science Baha | The Untouchables: Prevalence of Sexual Relationship during Menstrual Period |
| 15 | Pritisha Shrestha PhD Student, Syracruse University, New York | Bold, Brahmin and Banned: Recovering History’s Unsung Rhetoric of a Revolutionary Woman of Nepal |
| 16 | Sapana Basnet Bista PhD Researcher, Liverpool John Moores University, UK Shaurabh Sharma HI International Rose Khatri Liverpool John Moores University, UK Padam Simkhada Liverpool John Moores University, UK | Indiscriminating Earthquake Discriminatory Aid: Effectiveness of Blanket Approach to Aid Distribution to People with Disabilities |
| 17 | Jinglu Song Department of Urban Planning and Design, Xi'an Jiaotong- Liverpool University, Hong Kong Bo Huang Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T Rishikesh Pandey School of Development and Social Engineering, Pokhara University, Pokhara, Nepal | The Determinants of Disaster–Resilience in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal: An Assessment of Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience in Nepal after 2015 Earthquake |
| 18 | Yasuko Fujikura Research Fellow Institute of Research in Humanities, Kyoto University, Japan | Dealing with Marginality: Gender and Caste in Western Nepal |
| 19 | Aidan Seale-Feldman Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer, Bioethics Program, University of Virginia, VA, USA | Thinking with Ghosts: Bhut laagyo, Hysteria, and the Politics of Conceptualization |
| 20 | Sauharda Rai PhD Student, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, USA Bonnie Nicole Kaiser Assistant Professor, Anthropology, University of San Diego, USA Brandon A. Kohrt Charles and Sonia Akman Professor of Global Psychiatry, The George Washington University, USA | Recovery Narratives in Global Mental Health: Understanding the Benefits and Harms of Mental Health Service User’s Storytelling in Nepal |
| 21 | Shobhit Shakya Junior Research Fellow and PhD Student Ragnar Nurkse, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia | Guthis Abroad: Catering to the Social Needs Amongst the Newar Diaspora |
| 22 | Mitra Pariyar Leverhulme Research Fellow, Kingston University, London | Fighting Caste through Religious Conversion: Early Experiences of Nepali Dalit Christians |
| 23 | Tek Bahadur Dong OneSeed Expeditions, Regional Director for Nepal and Bhutan | Cultural Tourism: An Ethnographic Study of Home-Stay in Briddim, Rasuwa, Nepal |
| 24 | Sanjay Sharma PhD Student, National University of Singapore, Singapore | ‘Invisible Counterparts’ of the ‘Warrior Gentlemen’: Tracing out the Mobilities of ‘Gurkha Women’ |
| 25 | Nokmedemla Lemtur PhD Student, Center for Modern Indian Studies, Georg-August Universität Göttingen, Germany | Labour in the High Himalayas: Recruitment and Agency of Mountaineering Expedition Labour on Nanga Parbat and Everest (1922–1939) |
| 26 | Amanda Taylor, Claire Blaser Postgraduate (MA) Student, SOAS, London Martin Brooks Postgraduate Associate, SOAS, London | New Insights into Colonial Encounters in the Himalaya |
| 27 | Sara Parker and research team (TBC) | Reflecting on The Role of Diaries in Collaborative Action Research Opportunities and Challenges |
| 28 | Stefanie Lotter Senior Teaching Fellow SOAS, London Rajya Gurung, Lina Baniya Senior Researchers, Dignity Without Danger, Department of Sociology, Tribhuvan University | Exploring The Diversity of Stigmas and Taboos Surrounding Menstruation – Preliminary Insights from The Field–Western and Eastern Nepal |
| 29 | Madhusudan Subedi Professor, Central Department of Sociology, Tribhuvan University Sara Parker Reader, Department of Sociology, Liverpool John Moores University BK Shrestha Director, Global Action Nepal | Dignity Without Danger: Opportunities and Challenges of Engaging Partners in Collaborative Action Research |
| 30 | Toya Nath Bhattarai PhD Candidate, Kathmandu University | Controversy Over Medium of Education in Nepal: Some Milestones |
| 31 | Krishna Adhikari Britain–Nepal Academic Council (BNAC), UK Gopal Nepali Samata Foundation, Lalitpur David N. Gellner Professor, University of Oxford | Dalits in the School Curriculum in Nepal |
| 32 | Shak Bahadur Budhathoki Education Coordinator, Mercy Corps Nepal | Improving Learning Outcome through School Improvement Plan (SIP) |
| 33 | Shangrila Joshi The Evergreen State College, Olympia, USA | Neoliberalization, Climate Change, and Community Forestry in Nepal |
| 34 | Pearly Wong PhD Student, University of Wisconsin-Madison | Development (In)Convenience: Agrarian Change and the Experience of Development in Dakshinkali, Nepal |
| 35 | Manoj Suji & Nilima Rai Research Associate, Social Science Baha Sambriddhi Kharel Independent Researcher | Role of Actors and Institutions in Translating the 2030 Agenda for Gender Equality Commitments in National Discourse: A Case Study of Nepal |
| 36 | John Whelpton The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Between Two Big Ones: Earthquakes in the Nepali Consciousness, 1934-2015 |
| 37 | Mark Liechty Professor of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA | Disasters and ‘Conditions of Possibility’: Rethinking Causation through an Analysis of Nepal Earthquakes |
| 38 | Sanjaya Mahato Independent Researcher Rupesh Kumar Sah Under Secretary, Federal Parliament Secretariat Nepal Pooja Chaudhary Advocate affiliated with the Nepal Bar Association | Legislators’ Engagement in Policy Making and Post-Legislative Scrutiny in Nepalese Parliament Since 1991 |
| 39 | Obindra B. Chand Qualitative Research Officer, HERD International Kathmandu, Nepal Shophika Regmi Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation, HERD International Abriti Arjyal Research Coordinator, HERD International Chandani Kharel Research Manager, HERD International Sushil C. Baral Managing Director, HERD International | Use of Data for Decision Making in Planning Process of Local Health System in Nepal: A Critical Note on Problems and Prospects |
| 40 | Richard Bownas Associate Professor, Political Science and International Affairs, University of Northern Colorado | Measuring Caste Discrimination in Urban and Rural Nepal: Some Empirical Approaches |
| 41 | Michael Hutt Professor, SOAS, London | Before the Dust Settled: Nepal’s Seismic Constitution |
| 42 | Philippe Le Billon Professor, Department of Geography University of British Columbia, Canada Manoj Suji Research Associate, Social Science Baha Dinesh Paudel Assistant Professor, Department of Sustainable Development, Appalachian State University North Carolina, USA | Earthquakes and Cashflows: Households and Disaster Financialization in Post- earthquake Nepal |
| 43 | Bina Limbu Independent Researcher | Reconstruction and the Rise of One-roomed Houses in Rural Nepal |
| 44 | Stefanie Lotter Senior Teaching Fellow and Research Fellow, SOAS, London | Collecting Loss and Displaying Absence: Curating the Earthquake |
| 45 | Bryony Whitmarsh Associate Dean, Faculties of Creative and Cultural Industries and Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Portsmouth | From Darbar to Sañgrahalaya: Creating New History in the Narayanhiti Palace, Nepal |
| 46 | Abha Lal Independent Researcher/ Desk Editor, The Record | When There Was a King There Was Unity: An Exploration of Nostalgia for the Monarchy |
| 47 | Sanjay Sharma PhD Candidate, National University of Singapore | Industry under the Open Sky: An Exploration of the Political Economy of Brick-making in Nepal |
| 48 | Dipak Bahadur Adhikari Lecturer of Economics, Patan Multiple Campus | Informal Economy and Poverty in Nepal |
| 49 | Thomas Robertson Executive Director, Fulbright Nepal | Changing Kathmandu: Land, Water, and Public Space Through the Decades |
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