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Conference 2018

  • Day 1
    25 Jul, 2018
  • Day 2
    26 Jul, 2018
  • Day 3
    27 Jul, 2018
  • Hall A
  • Hall B

Panel A2 11:10 am – 12:50 pm

Nepal’s Complex and Contested ‘Transition’: Discussion from the Margins
(Convener: Sangita Thebe Limbu)

Chair & Discussant

Sohan Prasad Sha, Martin Chautari

Political Mobilisation and Borderland Brokers in Nepal’s Tarai
Sujeet Karn
Senior Researcher, Martin Chautari
Post War Reconstruction, Transitional Justice and the Politics of Everyday Life: Case Study of Bardiya
Sangita Thebe Limbu
Research Fellow, Martin Chautari
Other Side of the Civil Conflict in Nepal: An Empirical Exploration into Health and Well-Being
Nirmal Kumar Raut
Assistant Professor, Central Department of Economics, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Ryuichi Tanaka
Professor, Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Lunch 12:50 – 1:45 pm

Panel A3 1:45 – 3:25 pm

Kathmandu as a (R)evolving Culture Place

Chair

Dyuti Baral, Social Science Baha

Discussant

Chiara Letizia, Université du Québec à Montréal

Vitality of language and religion among the Newars in the Kathmandu Valley
Frederic Moronval
Research Laboratory Dylis, Normandy University, Rouen, France
Tibetan Sources on the Political and Religious Contacts Between Tibet, Yolmo and the Kathmandu Valley in the 17-18th Century
Zsóka Gelle
Independent Researcher
Shifting Imaginations: Contemporary Arts Education and Practices in Nepal
Dipti Sherchan
Graduate Student, Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois – Chicago

Break 3:25 – 3:55 pm

Panel A4 3:55 – 6 pm

Legal Instruments: Limitations and Exclusions

Chair

Thomas B. Robertson, Fulbright Commission – Nepal

Discussant

Mark Turin, University of British Columbia

Legislation and Legitimization of Gender Discriminatory Practices
Ojaswi KC & Roshani Regmi
BA in Law, Kathmandu School of Law, Bhaktapur, Nepal
‘Pothi Bashio’: Security of Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRD) in Nepal
Rajya Laxmi Gurung
MPhil Candidate in Sociology, Tribhuvan University
Deviation or Devotion? A Supreme Court Verdict on Animal Sacrifice in Nepal
Chiara Letizia
Professor, South Asian Religions, Department of Religious Studies, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
Blandine Ripert
CNRS Researcher, Ethno-Geography, Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences, New Delhi, Centre for South Asian Studies, EHESS-CNRS, Paris
Right to Privacy vs National Security, Law and Order: A Comparative Study of Constitutional Provision of Nepal and India
Vijay Jayshwal
Teaching Faculty, Kathmandu School of Law
Roshana Parajuli & Ankita Tripathi
BA. LLB, Kathmandu School of Law, Nepal

Panel B1 9 – 10:10 am

Opening Remarks

Tatsuro Fujikura, Nepal Academic Network (Japan)

Dynamics of Labour Migration: Discursive Structures

Chair

Tatsuro Fujikura, Nepal Academic Network (Japan)

Discussant

Ang Sanu Lama, Independent Researcher

Social Perception, Media Representation, and the Policies of Female Labor Migration in Nepal
Arjun Kharel
Researcher, Social Science Baha
Beyond Empowerment and Exploitation: Care Chain of Transnational Migratory Nepali Women
Sanjaya Aryal
PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology, University of Essex

Break 10:10 – 11:10 am

Panel B2 11:10 am – 12:50 pm

Ethnographies of Infrastructure: Roads, State Building and Everyday Practice in Nepal’s Agrarian Districts
(Convener: Elsie Lewison)

Chair

Dinesh Paudel, Appalachian State University

Discussant

Sara Shneiderman, University of British Columbia

Rural Roads Matters: Debate and Practice of Road Building in the Eastern Plains of Nepal
Lagan Rai
Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Post Graduate College, Biratnagar (Tribhuvan University)
The Politics of the Road: Ethnography of Charikot-Singati-Lamabager Road of Dolakha, Central Nepal
Shyam B. Kunwar
Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Corruption, road building and the politics of social science research in post-conflict Nepal
Katharine Rankin
Professor, Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto, Canada
Pushpa Hamal
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
Elsie Lewison
PhD Candidate, Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto
Tulasi Sharan Sigdel
Director of Studies, Nepal Administrative Staff College, Nepal

Lunch 12:50 – 1:45 pm

Panel B3 1:45 – 3:25 pm

Voices from Himalayan Expeditions and Explorations

Chair

Kathryn Ruth Stam, SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Discussant

Stefanie Lotter, University of London

Voices from the Mountain: Hidden Transcripts and Transculturation of Labour in the Nanga Parbat and Everest Expeditions (1922-1939)
Nokmedemla Lemtur
PhD Candidate, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Transregionalism, Hierarchy, and Belonging Dynamics in Himalayan Mountain Tourism
Young Hoon Oh
Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Department of Religious Studies, University of California
Construction of Whiteness in Jamaica Kincaid’s Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya
Shuva Raj Ranabhat
PhD Candidate, Department of English, The University of Texas at El Paso

Break 3:25 – 3:55 pm

Panel B4 3:55 – 6 pm

Imagining a Nation: Words and Pictures

Chair

Michael Hutt, University of London

Discussant

Seira Tamang, Independent Researcher

Contemporary Art of Nepal, Picturing a Nation, Performing an Identity
Andrea de la Rubia Gomez-Moran
History of Art, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
Dibya Upadesh and the Making of a Nationalist Gospel
Avash Bhandari
Graduate Student in History, University of Illinois, Chicago
Ambivalence Denied or Unrecognized? A Preliminary Study on Some Governmental Brochures in the Early Panchayat Period
Katsuo Nawa
Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo, Japan
Power Play: An Intricate Story of the Founding of Nepal’s First University
Lok Ranjan Parajuli
Senior Researcher, Martin Chautari, Nepal
  • Hall A
  • Hall B

Panel A5 9 – 10:40 am

Nepali Diaspora: Belonging and Longings

Chair

Sara Shneiderman, University of British Columbia

Discussant

Bandita Sijapati, Independent Researcher

Perspectives on Religious Identity, Caste, and Culture for Bhutanese-Nepali Refugee Families in the United States
Kathryn Ruth Stam
Professor of Anthropology, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Utica, New York
Nepalese Canadian Youth Civic Engagement: Young Nepalese Canadians Experiences In High School
Nabin Maharjan
PhD Candidate, Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, Canada
Thomas O’Neill
Professor, Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, Canada
Back to Nepal: A Canadian Perspective
Wayne Johnston
Head, Research Enterprise and Scholarly Communication, University of Guelph Library, Canada

Break 10:40 – 11:10 am

Panel A6 11:10 am – 12:50 pm

Understanding the Prevalence and Persistence of Domestic Violence

Chair

Sambriddhi Kharel, Social Science Baha

Discussant

Feyzi Ismail, SOAS, University of London

A Study on the Prevalence of Physical and Sexual Violence Against Returned Women Migrant Workers in Nepal
Arjun Kharel
Researcher, Social Science Baha, Nepal
Ratna Shrestha
Programme Implementation Manager, Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) Nepal
Domestic Violence and Maternal Nutritional Status in Nepal: Findings from NDHS, 2016
Ramesh Prasad Adhikari
Research Manager, Hellen Keller International, Nepal
Subash Yogi
M&E and Knowledge Management Specialist, Suaahara II/USAID, Nepal
Ajay Acharya
Nutrition and FP Specialist, Suaahara II/USAID, Nepal
Kenda Cunningham
Senior Technical Advisor, Suaahara II/USAID
Domestic Violence in Nepal: A Discourse Analysis of the Research Publications of International Development Institutions
Claire Willey Sthapit
PhD Candidate, University of Washington

Lunch 12:50 – 1:45 pm

Panel A7 1:45 – 3:25 pm

Rituals and Practices: Communication through Worship

Chair

Katsuo Nawa, University of Tokyo

Discussant

Zsoka Gelle, Independent Researcher

Dewali through Sociological Lens: A Study of Ancestor Worship amongst the Khadkas of Nepal
Rachana Bista
MPhil Candidate, Sociology, Sikkim University
The Other World Connection: A Study of the ‘Thread Cross’ Ceremony in Sikkim
Neha Sharma
MPhil Candidate, Sikkim University, India
Swati Akshay Sachdeva
Associate Professor, Sikkim University
Is it God Speaking? The Identity and Agency of Deities in the Western Himalayas
Asaf Sharabi
School of Behavioral Sciences, Peres Academic Center, Israel

Break 3:25 – 3:55 pm

Panel A8 3:55 – 5:35 pm

Body and Mind: Care and Repair

Chair

Omer Aijazi, University of British Columbia

Discussant

Wai-Man Tang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Attitude, Behaviour and Knowledge on Snakes and Snakebite Management of Students in Snake Prone Area of Different Himalayan Nation (Nepal and Bhutan)
Sunil Sapkota
BSc. Forestry, Royal University of Bhutan, Bhutan
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Genotypes in Relation to High Altitude Hypoxia Among the Tawang Monpa from Himalayan Mountains
Sudipta Ghosh
Department of Anthropology, North-Eastern Hill University, Meghalaya, India
Abigail Bigham
Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Michigan
Tom Brutsaert
Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, New York
Ingesting Instability: Opiate Addiction and Care in Urban Nepal
Thomas Robert Zeller
MA student, Medical Anthropology, University of Hawaii

Break 5:35 – 6 pm

Public Event 6 pm

Collaborative Research Projects in the Wake of the 2015 Earthquakes
A Panel Presentation and Discussion

Several international scholarly collaborations are currently focusing on Nepal’s 2015 earthquakes and their aftermath, from a range of disciplinary and methodological approaches. Their concerns include the dynamics of relief, recovery and reconstruction and the cultural, sociological and political impacts of both recent and historical earthquakes. This roundtable will bring together participants from three such projects to share information about their lines of inquiry. Projects represented include ‘After the Earth’s Violent Sway’ (based at SOAS, London with funding from the UK’s AHRC/Global Challenges Research Fund), ‘Expertise, Labour and Mobility in Nepal’s Post-Conflict Post-Disaster Reconstruction’ (based at University of British Columbia, Canada, with funding from the Canadian Social Science and Humanities Research Council) and ‘Resilience Capacity of the Community’, which is part of ‘A Study on State of Social Inclusion in Nepal’ (based at the Department of Anthropology at Tribhuvan University, with funding from USAID).

Speakers

Mukta Singh Lama, Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University
Sara Shneiderman, University of British Columbia, Canada
Michael Hutt, SOAS, University of London

Moderator

Jeevan Baniya, Social Science Baha

Panel B5 9 – 10:40 am

After the Earth’s Violent Sway: The Tangible and Intangible Legacies of Earthquakes in Nepal
(Convener: Michael Hutt)

Chair

Jeevan Baniya, Social Science Baha

Discussant

Triratna Manandhar, Tribhuvan University

The Nepali Poetry of the 2015 Earthquakes and their Aftermath
Michael Hutt
Professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies, SOAS, University of London
Missing Rani Pokhari: Conditions for Alternative Futures in a Monument Destroyed
Stefanie Lotter
Teaching Fellow, South Asia Department, University of London
Juddha Shamsher and the 1934 Earthquake
John Whelpton
Honorary Research Associate, Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, Chinese University

Break 10:40 – 11:10 am

Panel B6 11:10 am – 12:50 pm

Pluralism and Liberalism in Sikkim and Darjeeling

Chair

John Whelpton, Chinese University

Discussant

Dan V. Hirslund, University of Copenhagen

Trans-himalayan Commercial and Cultural Interactions: A Case Study of Colonial Darjeeling Himalaya
Kishan Harijan
Assistant Professor, Department of History, Presidency University, Kolkata
Impact of British Colonial Rule in the Modernisation of Sikkim
Rajeev Rai
PhD Candidate, Department of International Relations, Sikkim University, India

Lunch 12:50 – 1:45 pm

Panel B7 1:45 – 3:25 pm

Healing, Ritual and Belonging: Explorations of Christianity in Nepal
(Convener: Victoria Dalzell)

Chair & Discussant

Lauren Leve, Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Continuity and Rupture: A Catholic Perspective on Christian Conversion in Nepal
Guillaume Boucher
PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology, Université de Montréal
‘Our God is not a foreign God’: Ritual Music Practice and Tharu Ethnicity within Western Nepal’s Christian Community
Victoria Dalzell
Independent Scholar (adjunct teaching faculty at multiple colleges and universities in Southern California, USA)
Social Injustice and Emerging Subaltern Religiosity Nepal
Amar BK
PhD Candidate, Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh

Break 3:25 – 3:55 pm

Panel B8 3:55 – 5:35 pm

Traditional Knowledge: Mechanisms and Practice

Chair

Nirmal Man Tuladhar, Social Science Baha

Discussant

Nabin Rawal, Tribhuvan University

Heritage Restoration and Traditional Community Governance in Kathmandu Valley
Shobhit Shakya
Junior Research Fellow, PhD Student Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia
Traditional Knowledge in the Himalayas: A Call for an Exploration in Policy Discourse and the Need for a National Regulatory Framework
Snigdha Bhatta
Junior Associate, Unity Law Firm & Consultancy, Nepal
Himalayan Yak Herders: The Case of Dolpo Kchung-jhee
Tashi Tsering Ghale
Independent Researcher
  • Hall A
  • Hall B

Panel A9 9 – 10:40 am

Aims of Education: Resources and Mobilisation

Chair

Lok Ranjan Parajuli, Martin Chautari

Discussant

Thomas B. Robertson, Fulbright Commission – Nepal

In the Name of Children’s Rights: Rethinking The Rhetoric of Schools as Zones of Peace and Prohibitions on Student Involvement in Party-Based Activities in Nepal
Yoko Ishikura
Independent researcher
The Dynamics of Financial Accountability in Nepal’s Community Schools
Shak Bahadur Budhathoki
Associate Researcher, Martin Chautari, Nepal
Reorganizing Resource for School Education: Reflecting on Earthquakes and Subsequent Crisis
Rukh B. Gurung
Research Assistant, Martin Chautari, Nepal

Break 10:40 – 11:10 am

Panel A10 11:10 am – 12:50 pm

Change in Relations: Effects of Migration on Left-behind Families

Chair

Bandita Sijapati, Independent Researcher

Discussant

Sanjaya Aryal, University of Essex

Migration and Agrarian Change in Nepal Plains
Ram Narayan Shrestha
PhD Candidate, South Asian University, New Delhi, India
Krishna Sharma
Consultant, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi
Migrant Husbands and Left-behind Wives: Effect of Spousal Separation on Subjective Well-being of Young Nepali Women
Ram Narayan Shrestha
PhD Candidate, South Asian University, New Delhi, India
Livelihood Practices in Transnational Space (A Case Study of Family Left Behind in Nepal)
Anchala Chaudhary
Lecturer in Sociology, Prithvi Narayan Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Lunch 12:50 – 1:45 pm

Panel A11 1:45 – 3:25 pm

Aspirations and Identity: New and Old

Chair

Mukta Singh Lama, Social Science Baha

Discussant

John Whelpton, Chinese University

‘We are also Gurkhas’: Changes in Gurkha Recruitment Policy and the Inclusion Discourse in Nepal
Avash Piya
Aarhus University, Denmark
Realities and Aspirations: Kabaddi Players in Far-West Nepal
Wai-Man Tang
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Representing and Performing the Contested Trans-Himalayan ‘Shared heritages’ of ‘Gorkha’: Virtualisation of the Public Sphere and the Aesthetics of ‘being Gorkha’ in South Asia
Anup Shekhar Chakraborty
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Political Studies, Netaji Institute for Asian Studies, India

Panel B9 9 – 10:40 am

Re/Construction: Expertise, Politics, and Materiality in Nepal’s Ongoing Transformation (Panel A)
(Convener: Sara Shneiderman)

Chair

Cameron Warner, Aarhus University

Discussant

Philippe Le Billon, University of British Columbia

Expertise, Labour and Mobility in Nepal’s Post-conflict, Post-disaster Reconstruction
Sara Shneiderman
Associate Professor in Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Canada
Chains of Exploitation: Skills, Solidarity and Survival in Kathmandu’s Urban Construction Industry
Dan V. Hirslund
Department for Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Untangling the Technology-society Knot: An Engineer’s Social Scientific Observations of the Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Process in Rural Nepal
Bishnu Pandey
Faculty, Civil Engineering, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Canada

Break 10:40 – 11:10 am

Panel B10 11:10 am – 12:50 pm

Re/Construction: Expertise, Politics, and Materiality in Nepal’s Ongoing Transformation (Panel B)
(Convener: Sara Shneiderman)

Chair

Nabin Rawal, Tribhuvan University

Discussant

Katharine Rankin, University of Toronto

The Geopolitics of Post-Earthquake Reconstruction in Nepal
Dinesh Paudel
Assistant Professor, Department of Sustainable Development, Appalachian State University, USA
Philippe Le Billon
Professor, Department of Geography & Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia, Canada
Infrastructures of Social Repair: Insights from Northern Pakistan and Kashmir
Omer Aijazi
Sessional Instructor, PhD Candidate, University of British Columbia
State-Society Relationships After Nepal’s 2015 Earthquakes
Jeevan Baniya
Assistant Director, Social Science Baha, Kathmandu, Nepal

Lunch 12:50 – 1:45 pm

Panel B11 1:45 – 3:25 pm

Inclusion and Representation in Federal Nepal

Chair

Youba Raj Luintel, Tribhuvan University

Discussant

Tatsuro Fujikura, Nepal Academic Network (Japan)

Token Versus Team Work: Women in the Local Bodies of Nepal 2017
Sanjaya Mahato
Researcher, Social Science Baha
Pooja Chaudhary
Research Assistant, Social Science Baha, Nepal
When Do Minorities Get Autonomy, And When Do They Not? Marginalized Groups and Movements for Federal Autonomy in Nepal
Mahendra Lawoti
Professor, Department of Political Science, Western Michigan University
Nepal’s Federal Structure and Its Effects on Democratic Politics
Dhana Hamal
Political Science Department, Alumna, University of Toronto, Canada

Break 3:25 – 3:55 pm

Panel B12 3:55 – 5:40 pm

Modernity and Materiality in Development

Chair

Steven Folmar, Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

Discussant

Dannah Dennis, New York University Shanghai

Closing Remarks

Steven Folmar, Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

An Old Monarchy, A New Democracy and Gross National Happiness in Bhutan: A Holistic Approach for Sustainable Development
Lopita Nath
University of the Incarnate Word, Texas
DDT, Dang, and Land Reform: ‘Backwards’ Development in Nepal’s Western Inner Tarai in the 1960s
Thomas B. Robertson
Executive Director, Fulbright Nepal
The Expanding and Consolidating ‘Middle Class’ in Contemporary Nepal
Youba Raj Luintel
Central Department of Sociology, Tribhuvan University
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