The Politics of Culture and Identity in Contemporary Nepal

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies Volume 20 Number 1 Himalayan Research Bulletin no. 1 & Article 7 2 2000 Roundtable: The Politics of Culture and Identity in Contemporary Nepal Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya Recommended Citation . 2000. Roundtable: The Politics of Culture and Identity in Contemporary Nepal. HIMALAYA 20(1). Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol20/iss1/7 This Research Article is brought to you for free and open access by the DigitalCommons@Macalester College at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Roundtable: The Politics of Culture and Identity in Contemporary Nepal Organizers: William F. Fisher and Susan Hangen Panelists: Karl-Heinz Kramer, Laren Leve, David Romberg, Mukta S. Tamang, Judith Pettigrew,and Mary Cameron William F. Fisher and Susan Hangen local populations involved in and affected by the janajati Introduction movement in Nepal. In the years since the 1990 "restoration" of democracy, We asked the roundtable participants to consider sev ethnic activism has become a prominent and, for some, a eral themes that derived from our own discussion: worrisome part of Nepal's political arena. The "janajati" 1. To what extent and to what end does it make sense movement is composed of a mosaic of social organizations to talk about a "janajati movement"? Reflecting a wide and political parties dominated by groups of peoples who variety of intentions, goals, definitions, and strategies, do have historically spoken Tibeto-Burman languages. This the wide-ranging practices of activists in social organiza movement has reshaped political discourse in Nepal by per tions and constitute a movement or are they but a discor sistently challenging the previously-accepted view of na dant set of disparate actions? To what extent are groups tional culture, religion, and language, and by presenting a like the MNO or the Janajati Mahasangh engaged in the potentially revolutionary vision of Nepal as a multi-cultural, same project? multi-linguistic, and multi-religious state. This conflict pits anger and resentment about the two-hundred-year-history 2. How significant is the distinction between social of economic, political, and cultural dominance of Nepal and political spheres in Janajati discourse? Some Janajati by high-caste hill Hindus against fears that Nepal is on the activists take pains to distinguish between activities and verge of violent disintegration that would make it another groups that are part of a Janajati social movement, on one Sri Lanka or Yugoslavia. hand, and those which are part of a Janajati political move ment, on the other. While this distinction appears on the This roundtable brought together scholars who have surface to echo distinctions made by social movement theo conducted extensive research on different dimensions of rists, we might question how cleanly this demarcation can the janajati movement to share their perspectives, explore be drawn. What is the relationship between new asser the divergent and sometimes contradictory modes of ac tions of social and political identity and attempts to create tivism in the janajati movement, and to discuss the changes effective political strategies? that are occurring as new organizations emerge, actors re position themselves, and new issues arise. 1 The 3. How do post-1990 ethnic social and political orga roundtable's primary goal was to explore in some depth nizations differ in form, membership, and in the issues they the complex and changing nature of relationships among address from those which existed during the Panchayat era? various actors, social organizations, political parties, and How have previously existing ethnic organizations re-po sitioned themselves and re-cast their historical narratives in the post-Panchayat era? 4. How does the work of foreign and Nepali scholars 1Roundtable was part of the Annual Meeting of the Assqciation articulate with contemporary ethnic politics in Nepal? How of Asian Studies, held in Boston, MA on March 12, 1999. have the ways in which scholars have classified difference Roundtable participants included William Fi sher, David in Nepal influenced or informed the strategies contempo Gellner, Susan Hangen, Karl-Heinz Kramer, Lauren Leve, rary political activists employ to assert or re-classify dif Kathryn March, and Mukta Singh Tamang. Addition extended ference? comments were provided by David Holmberg, Judith Pettigrew, and Mary Cameron. 5. How does the Janajati movement articulate with in a larger frame encompassing the politics of difference in ROUNDTABLE: POLITICS OF CULTURE IN NEPAL 3 contemporary Nepal, including the politics of class, gen negotiating identities as they move toward modernity their der, and geography? own terms. But while everyday li ves are important anthropologi cal material, we would be ill -advised to treat some people William F. Fisher, Chair as more "ordinary" than oth ers and thus more worthy of Opening Remarks study, and we risk oversimplification if we focus on some I welcome everyone to the AAS roundtable on the Poli momentary lack of fit between what activists say and the tics of Culture and Iden tity in Contemporary Nepal. We feelings of those on whose behalf they claim to speak, and are fortunate to have here today a wide range of schol ars then take this lac k of fit to be evidence of how un authentic who have conducted research on different aspects of the the voices of ethnic activists are. Tracking a movement is Janajati movement. I will start with some background re not merely a matter of assessing the size of the constitu marks to help frame and initiate our exchange. ency at a particular moment, but also entails close atten tion to both the persistent assertion of new views, hi sto Within Nepal there are widespread di sagreements about ri es, categori es, and perspectives as well as the resonance th ~ seriousness of Nepal 's "ethnic problem", the threat it of so me of these assertions with a wider population. poses to national integration, and its causes. Some say that the Janajati problem is one of the most serious problems The innovative narratives of the activists may notal faced by Nepal at the moment but others argue that the ways reflect change that has already happened in the vil current furor is merely the work of a few disgruntled eth lages, but we should bea r in mind that th e politics of cul ni c elites in Kathmandu, who are out for personal ga in , ture entails simultaneous battle at numerous levels in vari and some even point to the complicity of foreign scholars ous political and geographic spaces. It would be ironic if in emphasizing ethnic differences and promoting a critical as anthropologists we emphasize the need to listen to and view of th e two hundred year hi story of nation building in make space for previously unheard voices but at th e same Nepal. time dismiss some voices by insisting that we are the best determiners of whose voices are ordinary or authentic Some of my high caste informants have said enough to be heard. di sm iss ively that the whole Janaj ati movement could be ended with just 20 or so hi gh go vernment appointments . Depending on th e speaker, current ethnic unrest is at When I paraphrased these claims to Janajati activists they tributed to a variety of causes. Ethnic ac tivists attribute it laughed and noted that th ey too had heard these remarks. to two hundred years of Hindu oppression and growing But th ey interpreted comments like thi s as signs of grow awareness of this history among affected social groups. But ing respec t for the movement since the estimated number less charitable views portray it as a misunderstanding and of government appointments needed to end th e movement misuse of new democratic processes and political freedom had apparently doubled within one year. to promote what are essentiall y commtmal claims. In the judgement of thi s latter group, there is no basis for th e fear Scholars, too, have questioned the size of the janajati of ethnic conflict at the grassroots level or among rural movement and challenged or di sm iss the authenticity or areas in Nepal. sign ificance of views ex pressed by a collection of ethnic "elites" or "intellectuals." One oftoday's participants, in a At the heart of the debate about identity, difference and recent volume, has cautioned us not to unquestioningly national culture are two co~11peting views of the nation of "give full credence to the most vocal and most active pro Nepal. One portrays a democratic Hindu kingdom com ponents of ethnic identity" and has rem inded us of the "duty posed of a harmonious flower ga rden of four vamas and to pay attention to the values and world views of ordinary 36 jats which share a heroic pas t, speak a common lan people."' I agree with thi s view but offer an additional guage, follow a common reli gion , and are led, at least sy m caution. It is apparent that what appears on the surface to bolically, by a divine and benevolent king. A second view be a res urge nce of traditional ethnic identities in Nepal is, opposes a Nepali past of internal colonization, Hindu op at least in part, a se lective intell ectual construction oriented pression, and the forced assimilation of non-Hindu minori as much to th e future as to th e past, and as much toward ti es into a hierarchica l system, to an emergent vision of th e modern as it is to the traditional.

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