Conference Year: 2018

While the ‘middle class’ elsewhere is said to be vanishing especially after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the concomitant ‘end of history’ (Fukuyama 1992), and the market triumphalism (for critique, see Sandel 2012), in countries like Nepal, however, the middle class is expanding and consolidating throughout. Taken in gradational sense (Weber 1922) the debate …

The Expanding and Consolidating ‘Middle Class’ in Contemporary Nepal Read More »

In 1965, the government of Nepal, with support from the US and WHO, launched a malaria eradication program in western Nepal. The program was accompanied by a land reform program, which was, at least initially, pushed by the U.S. Based on archival and recent ethnographic research, this paper examines the effects of these programs, especially …

DDT, Dang, and Land Reform: ‘Backwards’ Development in Nepal’s Western Inner Tarai in the 1960s Read More »

In the 21st century Bhutan has re-established its geopolitical identity by adopting a new system of government, a new constitution and also creating a global interest in their policy of Gross National Happiness. Leo Rose, in his seminal 1977 work, “The Politics of Bhutan”, observes that there is “no other political system presently extant with …

An Old Monarchy, A New Democracy and Gross National Happiness in Bhutan: A Holistic Approach for Sustainable Development Read More »

Nepal’s federalism debate has taken many turns over the last decade. In particular, the discussions on ethnicity-based federalism has been a much contested one. Scholars in favor of ethnic federalism such as Mahendra Lawoti strongly argued that creating federations along ethnic lines is the only way to dismantle the status quo, and the centuries of …

Nepal’s Federal Structure and Its Effects on Democratic Politics Read More »

Even though a broad spectrum of scholars studying ethnic conflict agree that autonomy should be awarded to territorially concentrated ethnic groups to manage conflict in multiethnic societies (Lijphart 1976; Horowitz 1985; Elazar 1987; Gurr 1993; Kymlicka 1996; Watts 1999), the idea is highly contested at the political level. Thus, even though many ethnic groups around …

When Do Minorities Get Autonomy, And When Do They Not? Marginalized Groups and Movements for Federal Autonomy in Nepal Read More »

The paper discusses the debate of women’s inclusion in public spaces as a token or team work.  Women’s inclusion in Nepalese   politics since 1950s – whether it is a democratic space or King’s autocratic space – was mostly treated and taken as a token – means of decoration to show that they are kind to …

Token Versus Team Work: Women in the Local Bodies of Nepal 2017 Read More »

The backdrop of the discussion in this study is the native Nepali speaking people in India and their quest to cartographically chart their emic self-defined identity in a map called Gorkhaland in and around Darjeeling in the directional construct ‘North Bengal’ located in the Indian state of West Bengal. The phases of the demand for …

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 Read More »

The commercialization of kabaddi in India has created new opportunities for kabaddi players in Nepal. Meanwhile, many studies have shown that “afno manche” (one’s own people), which is usually associated with favoritism, as a cultural norm in Nepal has limited the opportunities for people at the marginality, including sports players. This paper discusses the aspirations …

Realities and Aspirations: Kabaddi Players in Far-West Nepal Read More »

Historically, the recruitment policies of the British Army had been highly non-inclusive to the extent that they had been biased towards certain ethnic groups within Nepal. Gurungs, Magars, Rais and Limbus, which the British had categorised as “martial”, have had a dominant position within the recruitment sector. Their dominance as British Gurkhas continues to this …

‘We are also Gurkhas’: Changes in Gurkha Recruitment Policy and the Inclusion Discourse in Nepal Read More »

This paper discusses the broader impacts of the post-2015 earthquake responses on the state society relationships during relief, recovery and reconstruction phases. Drawing on the argument by Anthony Oliver-Smith (1996), that disaster affects fundamental features and grammar of earthquake-affected societies in several ways, this paper seeks to illustrate the impacts of the post-earthquake responses by …

State-Society Relationships After Nepal’s 2015 Earthquakes Read More »