Conference Year: 2014

It is widely believed by many Nepalis as well as Nepali and foreign scholars, e.g. Joanna Watkins (1996) and Kathryn March (2002),that the indigenous-nationalities (adivasi-janajatis) are more egalitarian, including in their gender relations, than other communities, especially the notoriously hierarchical and inegalitarian Hindus.  It is thus possible to speak of hegemonic inegalitarianism and hegemonic egalitarianism …

Hegemonic Gender (In)egalitarianism, Multiple Patriarchies, and Exclusion: Gender Relations among Indigenous-nationalities in Nepal Read More »

After 1950’s, Nepal experienced tripartite agendas in the history of state-building– democracy as a political regime, economic liberalization and diplomatic interdependence in the post-colonial world. Industrialization and the associated labour issues emerged as political instruments and social movement agenda. The trade union activities which were prohibited during the panchayat regime, however, resumed after the reinstatement …

Civil Society Approach to Rise of Unionism in Nepal Read More »

This study seeks to describe the functioning and challenges experienced by local government officials during Nepal’s efforts to transition into democracy, particularly as it relates to marginalized groups’ access to civil liberties and opportunities. Nepal is striving to establish a democratic government in part by creating a federal structure with a three-tiered administrative system of …

Local Government Officers’ Perspectives on Their Role during the Transition to Democracy in Nepal Read More »

This paper analyzes the notion of stakeholder participation in policy process by examining roles of various actors involved in the making of national media policy drafts. These actors include representatives of state machinery, donors and the media professionals. The standard discourse on participatory and collaborative policy process often finds no return for thinking about the …

Holding Stake or Power: Stakeholder Participation in Nepal and Making of Media Policy Drafts (2012-2013) Read More »

I am interested in looking at the relationship that human beings have with nature, particularly material – land/territory/space – in relation to their idea of themselves and their social production and reproduction. In looking at this relationship, I will use historical and gendered lenses. In my paper I will explore the question of territory and …

Will it deliver? Women’s Rights through Land Rights Read More »

In this paper, I discuss how Dhimal, one adivasi community from Nepal’s easternmost lowland plains, the Tarai, use their village ritual to reclaim their historical relationships with their ancestral territories once they have forgotten and how ordinary individuals inscribe and write their ethnic histories into the newly rediscovered ancestral land by physically being at the …

Rediscovering and Remaking of an Ancestral Place: Ritual, Place-Making and Indigenous Historical Agency in Nepal Read More »

Naming and the place names have entered the main political debates in the process of delineating new provinces for restructuring the state of Nepal. The debates surrounding the naming of new provinces are fused with identity politics, which have created further contestations and confusions over understanding of identity in juxtaposition to delineating the state into …

Politics of Naming and Identity in Nepal Read More »

Women’s empowerment as a concept had its roots in the Third world feminist movement that advocated for collective action against gender subordination and unequal power relations. During late 1980s, the empowerment discourse which till then was in the margins of development and limited to feminists’ realm entered the mainstream development thinking and practice. In the …

Analysis of Women’s Empowerment Discourse in Nepal Read More »

There are only a few studies of social movement from gender perspectives, probably because it is assumed that the movements take into consideration the interests of both men and women or that movements are gender neutral. However, social movements are often framed such that the specific interests and demands of women are ignored, sidelined or …

Dalit Social Movement in Nepal: A Gendered Perspective Read More »

HIV is often accompanied by unfavorable attitudes and behaviors of people around in the society. This paper tries to describe the different forms of stigma and discrimination that is prevalent not only in the community, but also in the health facilities in Nepal, resulting in various complexities in the lives of the infected/ affected people. …

HIV and Stigma Read More »