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Conference 2017

  • Day 1
    26 Jul, 2017
  • Day 2
    27 Jul, 2017
  • Day 3
    28 Jul, 2017
  • Hall A
  • Hall B

Panel A1 9 – 11 am

Opening Remarks

Heather Hindman, Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies 

Chair

and

Discussant

Thomas B. Robertson, Director, Fulbright Commission, Nepal

Adivasi Body, Malaria, and the State in Nepal: Perspectives from Indigenous Historical Analysis
Janak Rai
Associate Professor, Anthropology, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Settler Sensibilities and Environmental Change: The Unmaking of a Malarial Landscape in the Far West Tarai
Amy Leigh Johnson
PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology and School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, USA
Biological Statehood: Sickle Cell Disease & Citizenship in Contemporary Nepal
Priyankar Bahadur Chand
Sickle Cell Nepal

Break 11 – 11:30 am

Panel A2 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Conservation and Locals

Chair

Hari Sharma, Executive Director, Alliance for Social Dialogue (ASD)

Discussant

Lokranjan Parajuli, Senior Researcher, Martin Chautari, Kathmandu

Religion and Development in Sikkim
Pooja Thapa
PhD Candidate, Sociology, Institute for Social and Economic Change, India
Forest Futures: Tenure Mosaics of Nepal’s Terai Arc Landscape
Nayna Jhaveri
Independent researcher
“Guns and Fences” Conservation in Asia?: The Origins and Evolution of Nepal’s Chitwan National Park
Thomas B. Robertson
Associate Professor of History, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA

Lunch 1:30 – 2:30 pm

Panel A3 2:30 – 4:30 pm

Chair

David Gellner, Chair, Britain-Nepal Academic Council

Discussant

Sangay Tamang, PhD Candidate, Indian Institute of Technology, India 
International Labour Migration from Nepal and Changing Caste-based Institutions and Inter-caste Relations
Krishna P. Adhikari
Research Fellow, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology (ISCA), University of Oxford, UK
David Gellner
Professor, Social Anthropology and Fellow, All Souls College, University of Oxford, UK
Being, Becoming, Belonging: The Paradox of Identity and Mental Suffering among Nepal’s Dalits
Steve Folmar
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Wake Forest University, USA
Did the Earthquake and Earthquake Relief have a Differential Impact on Lower Caste Groups? A Case Study of Sindhupalchok District, Nepal
Richard Bownas
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Northern Colorado, USA
Ratna Bishokarma
MPhil in Sociology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Break 4:30 – 5 pm

Public Event 5 pm

Keynote Lecture

Painting the Mythological History of Nepal: The Wall Paintings of the Tantric Shrine of Santipur
at Svayambhu, and their origins, history and fate
by
Alexander von Rospatt, Professor for Buddhist and South Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley

Panel B1 9 – 11 am

Opening Remarks

David Gellner, Britain-Nepal Academic Council 

Can Inter-caste Marriage Change Perceptions of Caste?
Ivan Deschenaux
PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology, London School of Economics, UK
Intermarriages and Generational Relations: A Sociological Study in Kathmandu City
Bimla Kumari Gurung
PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology, Gurunanak Dev University, India
Intermarriage and Matrimonial Practices in Kathmandu
Claire Martinus
Lecturer, Anthropology, University of Lille 3, France

Break 11 – 11:30 am

Panel B2 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Empowering Women 

Chair

Heather Hindman, President, Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

Discussant

Arjun Kharel, Researcher, CESLAM, Social Science Baha
Self Help Group’s Effects on Women’s Empowerment
Bal Krishna Khadka
Assistant Professor, School of Management, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Pranaya Sthapit
Researcher, Interdisciplinary Analysts, Kathmandu
Sudhindra Sharma
Executive Director, Interdisciplinary Analysts, Kathmandu
Property Rights, Intersectionality, and Women’s Empowerment: Examining the Meanings of Property for Women with Different Social Locations in Nepal
Rajendra Pradhan
Managing Director, Nepā School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Nepal
Ruth Meinzen-Dick
Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute, USA
Sophie Theis
Research Analyst, International Food Policy Research Institute, USA
Transformation in Gender Norms for Innovation and Development in Agriculture and NRM Sector: A Case Study of Jajarkot, Myagdi and Devdaha, Nepal
Sushila Chatterjee Nepali & Kanchan Lama
Women Leading for Change in Natural Resources, Nepal

Lunch 1:30 – 2:30 pm

Panel B3 2:30 – 4:30 pm

Chair

Katsuo Nawa, Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo

Discussant

Gaurav Lamichhane, PhD Candidate, University of Heidelberg, Germany 

Accounting for Local Culture to Promote Safer Births in Rural and Remote Nepal
Jill Allison
Global Health Co-ordinator, Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Community Health and Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
Madhusudan Subedi
Professor, Central Department of Sociology Tribhuvan University, Nepal Cathy Ellis Bachelor of Fine Arts, Registered Midwife, MSc., Canada
Bhakta Dev Shrestha
Medical officer, National Health Education Information and Communication Centre, Nepal
Nani Kaway
Master in Nursing (Women Health and Development), Institute of Medicine, Nepal
Llamo Sherpa
Department of Community Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
Ethnographic Exploration of Maternal and Child Health Projects in Nepal: A Critical Analysis of the Data Collection Processes
Obindra B. Chand
Research Associate, Social Science Baha, Nepal
Radha Adhikari
Visiting Research Fellow, School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, UK
Sit up to feed your baby and you will have no problem…An Explanatory Model of Childhood Ear Disease and Gender Inequality in Jumla
Susan Clarke
PhD Candidate, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia

Break 4:30 – 5 pm

  • Hall A
  • Hall B

Panel A4 9 – 11 am

Sexing the State: Negotiating Sexual Politics in Naya Nepal

Chair

Susan Clarke, PhD Candidate, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia

Discussant

Laura Kunreuther, Director of Anthropology, Bard College, New York

Queer Dissidence in Times of Revolution
Kumud Rana
PhD Candidate, College of Social Sciences PhD Studentship, University of Glasgow, UK
Beyond the State: Social Institutions and the Transformation of Sexual Norms in Nepal
Sarah Rich-Zendel
PhD Candidate, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto, Ontario
Sexuality of Women with Physical Disabilities: Experience and Realities
Shubha Kayastha
MA Student, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Break 11 – 11:30 am

Panel A5 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Public Finance Dynamics in School Education in Nepal

Chair

Steve Folmar, Associate Professor, Wake Forest University, USA

Discussant

Nishesh Chalise, Assistant Professor, Augsburg College, USA

‘Communityization’ of Public Schools and the Realities of ‘free’ Education in Nepal
Pramod Bhatta
Senior Researcher, Martin Chautari, Kathmandu
Becoming ‘eligible’: Documents, Intermediary Actors, and the State in Education Scholarship Programmes
Uma Pradha
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Education Anthropology, Aarhus University, Denmark
The Use and Misuse of State Resources in Nepal’s Public Schools
Shak B. Budhathoki
Associate Researcher, Martin Chautari, Kathmandu

Lunch 1:30 – 2:30 pm

Panel A6 2:30 – 4:30 pm

Post-Disaster Relief and Roles: Local Initiatives and Global Norms

Chair

Seira Tamang, Independent researcher

Discussant

Jeevan Baniya, Researcher, Social Science Baha

22 Houses Near the River: Reflections on Reputation, Home, and the Trials of Youth during Nepal’s Post-Earthquake Reconstruction
Andrew Haxby
MI. PhD Candidate, Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
Rebuilding Nepal: Women’s Roles in Political Transition and Post-Disaster Recovery
Briana Mawby & Anna Applebaum
Hillary Rodham Clinton Research Fellows, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, USA

Panel B4 9 – 11 am

Nepali Diaspora in India

Chair

Janak Rai, Associate Professor, Anthropology, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Discussant

Shak B. Budhathoki, Associate Researcher, Martin Chautari, Kathmandu

MULIKI AIN: An Invisible Burden for Nepalis in India
Sangay Tamang
PhD candidate, Department of Humanities and Social Science, Indian Institute of Technology, India
Anxiety, Assertion and the Politics of Naming: The Making of ‘Assameli- Gorkha
Sumit Kumar Sarma
Research Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, India

Break 11 – 11:30 am

Panel B5 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

New and Old: Challenges in Education Sector in Nepal

Chair

Jeevan Baniya, Researcher, Social Science Baha

Discussant

Pooja Thapa, PhD Candidate, Institute for Social and Economic Change, India

Schools as an Arena of Struggle: Reexamining the Panchayat Era Politics of Education
Lokranjan Parajuli
Senior Researcher, Martin Chautari, Kathmandu
Re-emergence of Gurukul in Nepal: Deconstructing Vedic Tradition for Girls
Rajendra Raj Timilsina
PhD Candidate, School of Education, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Examining INGOs’ Support for the Education of Marginalised Girls in Nepal
Shristi Sijapati
MSc. International Development, University of Manchester, UK
Damodar Khanal
Campaigner for Save the Children UK

Lunch 1:30 – 2:30 pm

Panel B6 2:30 – 4:30 pm

Practice and Performance of Customs

Chair

Nirmal Man Tuladhar, Chair, Social Science Baha

Discussant

N/A

Charismatic Mediumship and Traditional Priesthood: Possession in Himalayan Hinduism
Asaf Sharabi
Peres Academic Center
Hagar Shalev
PhD candidate, Asian Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Beyond ‘Hill Cattle’ and the ‘Holy Cow’, Towards a Haptic History of Animals
Nivedita Nath
PhD Candidate, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
The Public Life of a Royal Scribe: Displaying Indra’s Flag in 18th Century Kathmandu
Michael C. Baltutis
Associate Professor, South Asian Religions, Department of Religious Studies & Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, USA
  • Hall A
  • Hall B

Panel A7 9 – 11 am

Securing the Status quo: Donors, Development and Reconstruction in Post-war Nepal

Chair

Mahendra Lawoti, Professor, Western Michigan University, USA

Discussant

Sujeet Karn, Independent researcher

Enabling ‘business as usual’: Donors and Peacebuilding in Nepal Post 2006
Seira Tamang
Independent researcher
The Post-war Direction in Nepal: Deepening Capital, Deepening Inequality
Feyzi Ismail
Senior Teaching Fellow, Department of Development Studies, SOAS, University of London, UK
Remote Response: International Humanitarianism and Nepal’s 2015 Earthquakes
James Sharrock
Independent researcher

Break 11 – 11:30 am

Panel A8 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Nepali Youth and the Job Market

Chair

Pramod Bhatta, Senior Researcher, Martin Chautari, Kathmandu

Discussant

David Gellner, Chair, Britain-Nepal Academic Council

Ear-witnesses and Conduits of Voices: On the Labor of UN Field Interpreters
Laura Kunreuther
Director of Anthropology, Bard College, USA
Analysing the Construction of Gendered Work: A Case of Hotels, Resorts and Casinos in the Kathmandu Valley
Mona Shrestha Adhikari
Fellow, South Asia Watch on Trade Economics and Environment, (SAWTEE), Kathmandu
Work-related Migration Aspirations in Youths of Nepal: An Empirical Analysis
Ram Narayan Shrestha
PhD Candidate, South Asian University, India

Lunch 1:30 – 2:30 pm

Panel A9 2:30 am – 4:30 pm

Citizenship, Democracy and Human Rights

Chair

Rajendra Pradhan, Managing Director, Nepa School of Social Sciences and Humanities 

Discussant

Dipak Gyawali, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST)

Closing Remarks

Nirmal Man Tuladhar, Social Science Baha
Gendered Citizenship: National Security versus Equality
Sanjay Sharma
Master’s in Political Science, Central European University, Hungary
Neha Choudhary
Independent Researcher
Universal Human Rights Versus Domestic Courts: Rethinking The Cultural Relativist Debate In Nepal
Shishir Lamichhane
Research Officer, Law and Policy Forum for Social Justice, Nepal
Poverty, Diversity and Democracy: Breakdown, Erosion and Endurance in South Asia
Mahendra Lawoti
Professor, Department of Political Science, Western Michigan University, USA

Panel B7 9 – 11 am

Belonging and Recognition

Chair

Krishna P. Adhikari, Research Fellow, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology (ISCA), University of Oxford, UK

Discussant

Rajendra Raj Timilsina, PhD Candidate, Kathmandu University, Nepal

Social Stratification and Dalit Leadership in Nepal: An Ethnographic Study of a Village in Western Nepal
Arjun Bahadur BK
Independent Researcher
Involuntary Childlessness in Nepal: Instances of Competition, Contestations, and Conflicts, among the Plural Healing Practices and Healing Journeys
Gaurav Lamichhane
PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology, South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany

Break 11 – 11:30 am

Panel B8 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Diminishing Returns of Resources in Nepal

Chair

Nayna Jhaveri, Independent researcher

Discussant

Feyzi Ismail, Senior Teaching Fellow, Department of Development Studies, SOAS, University of London, UK
Exploring Social and Economic Disparities in Nepal
Nishesh Chalise
Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Augsburg College, USA
A Combined Analytical Narrative to Study the Politicization of Irrigation Management in the Tarai: Critical Realism, Hydrosocial Theory and Sociotechnical Approach
Romain Valadaud
PhD Candidate, Geography Institute, University of Fribourg, Switzerland

Lunch 1:30 – 2:30 pm

Panel B9 1:30 – 2:30 pm

Nepali Imaginings

Chair

Claire Martinus,  Lecturer, Anthropology, University of Lille 3, France

Discussant

James Sharrock, Independent researcher 

Closing Remarks

Katsuo Nawa, Nepal Academic Network (Japan)
Local Faces and Places: Tourist Art and Representational Practices of Culture and Identity in Darjeeling Hills
Agastaya Thapa
PhD candidate, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
A Trajectory of Nepali Modernity: A Narrative of Ruptures and Repairs
Bal Bahadur Thapa
Lecturer, Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
The Sociology of Mt Everest
Kalyan Bhandari
Lecturer in Events, Hospitality & Tourism, School of Business and Enterprise, University of the West of Scotland, UK
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