Processes in Nepal : Joanna Pfaff-Czamecka
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EUROPEAN BULLETIN OF HIMALAY AN RESEARCH Number 5 1993 CONTENTS REVIEW ARTICLE Stepping onto the Public Arena· Western Social Anthropology on Development Processes in Nepal : Joanna Pfaff-Czamecka ......................................................... I ARCHIVES Ne palese Archives of the Depanment of Ethnomusicology in the Musee de I'Honune (Paris, 1960-1975): Mireille Helffer & Anne de Sales ................... 24 TOPICAL REPORTS Economic Development. Panicipalion, and Decentralization in Nepal: Bruno KnaJl ........................................................................................................... 26 European Researchers affiliated with Tribhuvan University: Manga!a Shreslha ........ 29 SlmkiJJin 5ahitya and the Democraticisation of Nepali Literature: Michael Hull ........ 32 INTERVIEW Reneclions of a Plant-hunter in Nepal: An lmerview with Dr. Tinha Bahadur Shrestha: Charles Ramble ............................................. 34 RESEARCH REPORTS Geomorphological Studies in the Bagmati Valley. south of Kathmandu - Using Remote Sensing Techiques: Roben Kostka ......................................... ................ 41 The Ruins of an Early Gunmg Settlement: Mark Temple .......................................... 43 Investigations on the Intensity of Weathering of Soils developed from Glacial and Glado-fluvial Deposits and their Relation to the Glacial History of Central and Easter Nepal: M. Kemp. A. Sieben. R.Bli umler. W.Zech & H. Heuberger ......... 47 NEWS Conferences: The Problem of National Identity of Ethnic Groups and National Integration: A Seminar Repon: Manin Gaenszle ........................... .. ............. .. ..... ............... 55 TIle Himalayan Forum at SOAS: Michael Hull ................................................... 56 Project: Himalaya-talenproject - "Himalayan Language ProjeCl" : George van Dricm ..... 56 Symposia: Bhutan : A Traditional Order and the Forces of Change, SOAS: Michael HUll .................................................................................................... 57 ANNOUNCEMENTS REVIEW ARTICLE Conference: 14th Annual Conference of lhe Linguistic Society of Nepal : Stepping into the Public Arena Manfred G.Treu .......... ................................... ................................................... 59 Western Social Anthropology on Development Processes in Ex.hibition: Nepal Building the Bridges to lhe Third World: A Toni-Hagen Exhibition Joanna Pfaff·Czamecka in Cologne: Susanne vcn der Heide ................................................................. 60 Bourliaud, J., Oobremez, J.-F. and F. author, quoted in a prominent place a CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE ................................................................................. 61 Vigny (eds.) 1990. Societes rural~s d~s Nepalese colleague's opinion on the NOTES TO CONTRmUTORS Andes el de I'Himolayo. Grenoble: Western contributions to date: "foreign Versants . scholars have done research with no relevance to Nepal i society formany years". Dobremez, J.-F. (eds.) 1986. us collines As is the case wilh all fundamentalism, iI is du Nepal central: icosystimes, structures impossible to argue with such a critic. sociall!.f et systemes agroires (2 Vols). However, a reply is necessary in order to Paris: INRA . continue what has been established over four decades (as apparent from Onta's Gilmour, D.A. and R.J. Fisher 1991. anicle as well) : a dialogue between bo!h Villagers, Forests and Foresters. rile "camps". Philosoph),. Process and Practice of Such a dialogue is all the more impor. Community Forestry in Nepal. Kathmandu : tant, since. accord ing to Himal. the Western Saha)'ogi Press. social anthropology of Nepal faces to some extent the same problems !hat are encoun Justice.J. 1986. Policies. Plans, &: People. tered by our Nepalese colleagues educated Berkeley: UCP. wilhin Western traditions : the enormous critical debate about epistemologica l and Seddon, D. 1987. Nepal. A State of Poverty. elhical issues concerning the Western New Delhi : Vikas, representation of the "o!her" and the Western control of discourses on the Zivctz. L. 1992. Private £nlreprise and the representation of truth about the other - a Stale in Modern Nepal. Madras: OUP. debate going on in India for instance through the project of "Subahem Studies" (2) - has And selected works listed in the bibliog· fmally reached the public forum in Nepal. raphy. The critical voice in 1Iimal has not (yet?) been raised by the "objects" of After ten days of Nepalese and Western anthropological inquiries. These basically scholars listening to each other on lhe remain silent within the scientific realm, occasion of two conferences on recent though not entirely: in OClOber 1992 Alan processes in the Nepalese society held in Macfarlane presented a revealing paper in Kathmandu in September 1992 (1). lhe Oxford about Gurung activi slS' involvement periodical Hima/ pointed out in its review a in his and Sarah HafTisson's project to "schism that grew between some forei gn and translate PignMe's Les Gumng (1%6) into Nepali research camps". While stressing lhe Eng lish. While in Nepal. and laler by fax. he urgency perceived by Nepalese scholars to was re pealed ly asked to add comments upon address lhe issues of lhe socioeconomic specific passages of the book in which the development of the country and to attack former "objects" of inquiry felt local problems lhrough, for instance, misrepresented. Those whom we study in app lied research. Pratyoush Onta, lhe the course ofour research show an intcrest in 2 3 the way !hey are described. We may expect institutions formerly taken for granted are changing circumstances new "holy cows" emergence of a fruitfu l and complex that these kinds of queries will come up in being fundamentally questioned. In th is are coming into existence. and a substantial development debate within the social public more and more. process the Nepalese and Western share of Nepalese people lack access to the anthropology of Nepal. Some of the results Our Nepalese colleagues increasingly experiences differ. I do not know how many public sphere, except when they are targt!ts presented by the geographers. economists ask uncomfonable questions about !heirrole of my Western colleagues have been facing ofinterventions designed by experts who are and political scientists who havecomributed wi!hin scientific. governmental and donor the same problem I had when in Spring 1987 putting forward their specific world views to our knowledge wiU also be discussed. institUlions. fearing that so far !heir work has I was prevented from presenting some and (pre)conceptions about their objects. Since deep and long ·Iasting personal. and, 10 basically benefited the funding agencies and critical fmdings from the field in "Development" or "societal change" is to a a lesser degree. institutional relationships !hemselves. They are in a double-role since Kathmandu because I wanted to talk about large extent a process of emerging andlor between Nepalese and Western scholars the ongoing societal process affects their things "that could not be". Still. the political changing links between societal have significantly structured the social living and working circumstances. At !he system has not interfered with my research subsystems. Viewed from the socio- anthropology of Nepal , it is also impossible same time. as experts. they have some!hing (or so I believe), and it seems that it has not anthropological perspective concerned in to avoid quoting our Nepalese colleagues. to say about !he fonn of !his change. affected the research of other Western the first place with local societies, it is most Given my ende.avor to present some of the Realizing !hat all over the world scholars. even if many were careful not to peninent to understand how these are most recent publications. there will be no intelligentsia tends to associate wi!h ra ise. for instance. the issue of ethnicity in increasingly being "embedded" in larger space to do justice to the earlie r contribu "power", solutions are sought to find a way public. But why then does the Western societal systems (s uch as the state). Even tions by Ch. von Filrer-Haimendorf, J.T. out of this predicament. Many call for research lack. with few exceptions, critical though some social anthropologists dread HilChcock, Ph, Sagant, L. Rose, J. Sacherer. applied and action research. and. as analyses of the political system or of the the mere idea that their research could relate P. Caplan, A, Manzardo, D. Messerschmidt. mentioned, claim to abandon !he traditional politico-economic relations? Did we follow to "development" at all. it is a new area for P. Blaikie, J. Cameron, upon which present social anthropology as pursued mainly by the "rule of hospitality" thal demands Ihat our inquiries to conceptualize links where research is based to a large degree. (5) Western scholars. I cannot agree with the we do not crilicize the host? But who are ou r partly incompatible world views. visions, At present, a growing number of social basic imperative demanding that all hosts? knowledge and technologies, systems of anthropologists. who are otherwise involved scientific research be immediately useful, 'The gap between our genuine concern production and circulation. and authority in ·'traditional" research, occasionally turn nor do 1 agree with the complaint that from afar, and our Nepalese colleagues' patterns meet and often collide. It is then our to development issues, probably because Western scholars have yet to contribute