Gender and Identity in a Shaman's Song from Nepal
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Oral History and the Evolution of Thakuri Political Authority in a Subregion of Far Western Nepal Walter F
Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies Volume 4 Number 2 Himalayan Research Bulletin, Monsoon Article 7 1984 1984 Oral History and the Evolution of Thakuri Political Authority in A Subregion of Far Western Nepal Walter F. Winkler Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya Recommended Citation Winkler, Walter F. (1984) "Oral History and the Evolution of Thakuri Political Authority in A Subregion of Far Western Nepal," Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies: Vol. 4: No. 2, Article 7. Available at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol4/iss2/7 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]. ... ORAL HISTORY AND THE EVOLUTION OF THAKUR! POLITICAL AUTHORITY IN A SUBREGION OF FAR WESTERN NEPAL Walter F. Winkler Prologue John Hitchcock in an article published in 1974 discussed the evolution of caste organization in Nepal in light of Tucci's investigations of the Malia Kingdom of Western Nepal. My dissertation research, of which the following material is a part, was an outgrowth of questions John had raised on this subject. At first glance the material written in 1978 may appear removed fr om the interests of a management development specialist in a contemporary Dallas high technology company. At closer inspection, however, its central themes - the legitimization of hierarchical relationships, the "her o" as an organizational symbol, and th~ impact of local culture on organizational function and design - are issues that are relevant to industrial as well as caste organization. -
Gurung Journeys
HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies Volume 12 Number 1 Himalayan Research Bulletin no. 1 & Article 1 2 1992 Traversing Social Space: Gurung Journeys Mary Des Chene Bryn Mawr College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya Recommended Citation Des Chene, Mary. 1992. Traversing Social Space: Gurung Journeys. HIMALAYA 12(1). Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol12/iss1/1 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]. TRAVERSING SOCIAL SPACE: GURUNG JOURNEYS1 MARY DEs CHENE BRYN MAWR CoLLEGE Introduction Nepal is inevitably characterized as a mountainous place. Almost proverbially, it is a "small landlocked country." It is often pointed out to be a place in which many people suffer poverty. It is also a place where much movement occurs, movement not unrelated to these three facts of topography, geopolitical situation and socioeconomic conditions. Whether one thinks of local movement up and down steep hillsides in the course ofagricultural labor, of internal migration from hills to plains and countryside to cities, or ofthe constant transit to and from sites of labor abroad, people are frequently on the move. To characterize these journeys, commonplace occurrences in many peoples' lives, it is essential to keep in sight the conditions-topographical, geopolitical and socioeconomic-that constrain or enable them. -
Four Ana and One Modem House: a Spatial Ethnography of Kathmandu's Urbanizing Periphery
I Four Ana and One Modem House: A Spatial Ethnography of Kathmandu's Urbanizing Periphery Andrew Stephen Nelson Denton, Texas M.A. University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, December 2004 B.A. Grinnell College, December 2000 A Disse11ation presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology University of Virginia May 2013 II Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1: An Intellectual Journey to the Urban Periphery 1 Part I: The Alienation of Farm Land 23 Chapter 2: From Newar Urbanism to Nepali Suburbanism: 27 A Social History of Kathmandu’s Sprawl Chapter 3: Jyāpu Farmers, Dalāl Land Pimps, and Housing Companies: 58 Land in a Time of Urbanization Part II: The Householder’s Burden 88 Chapter 4: Fixity within Mobility: 91 Relocating to the Urban Periphery and Beyond Chapter 5: American Apartments, Bihar Boxes, and a Neo-Newari 122 Renaissance: the Dual Logic of New Kathmandu Houses Part III: The Anxiety of Living amongst Strangers 167 Chapter 6: Becoming a ‘Social’ Neighbor: 171 Ethnicity and the Construction of the Moral Community Chapter 7: Searching for the State in the Urban Periphery: 202 The Local Politics of Public and Private Infrastructure Epilogue 229 Appendices 237 Bibliography 242 III Abstract This dissertation concerns the relationship between the rapid transformation of Kathmandu Valley’s urban periphery and the social relations of post-insurgency Nepal. Starting in the 1970s, and rapidly increasing since the 2000s, land outside of the Valley’s Newar cities has transformed from agricultural fields into a mixed development of planned and unplanned localities consisting of migrants from the hinterland and urbanites from the city center. -
From Subjects to Citizens? Labor, Mobility and Social Transformation in Rural Nepal by Jeevan Raj Sharma and Antonio Donini
Briefing Paper Strengthening the humanity and dignity of people in crisis through knowledge and practice From Subjects to Citizens? Labor, Mobility and Social Transformation in Rural Nepal By Jeevan Raj Sharma and Antonio Donini March 2012 Poshan Dahal The Feinstein International Center develops and promotes operational and policy responses to protect and strengthen the lives and livelihoods of people living in crisis-affected and marginalized communities. The Center works globally in partnership with national and international organizations to bring about institutional changes that enhance effective policy reform and promote best practice. This report is available online at fi c.tufts.edu Abstract This report is a follow-up to our previous study on Maoist insurgency and local perceptions of social transformation in Nepal. It presents and analyses the fi ndings of a two-month long fi eld research on the nature of changes on labor relations and mobility in western Nepal. The fi eld-research was guided by these key questions: what is the nature of change in labor relations in rural Nepal? Has labor shifted from ‘semi-feudal’ and ‘peasant’ modes of production in agricultural settings to ‘wage labor’ in urban and non-agricultural settings? Has this process benefi tted laboring households in rural Nepal? Findings from our fi eld research suggest that labor relations in rural Nepal have undergone major changes in recent decades accompanied by livelihood diversifi cation and multi-locale livelihoods in Nepal. Not only has rural to urban migration emerged as an important part of livelihoods, rural laboring households are drawing income both from wage labor in agriculture and other wage labor opportunities that have emerged locally. -
An Overview of the History of Tharu Mobilization
Issue 54, March 2013 FIELD BULLETIN An overview of the history of Tharu mobilization Overview The political upheavals in the months preceding the expiration of the Constituent Assembly in May 2012, as well as the heated protests and counter protests regarding federalism and the nature of the Nepali State, demonstrated a remarkable expression of Tharu solidarity that took many actors by surprise. In Kailali district in the Far Western Region, large sustained demonstrations demanding a Tharuhat State were carried out by a range of Tharu organizations (including actors from a wide range of political parties and organisations) coinciding with the so-called ‘United Far West’ protests. Interestingly, several members of political parties were seen to disregard their respective parties’ public stance on this issue. At the same time, in Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts Tharu protests resulted in clashes with the Nepal Police and other identity based groups (particularly anti-Federalist activist groups). This Field Bulletin1 examines the motivations and history of Tharu activism in Nepal. It aims to demonstrate that their recent protests and demands for federalism are simply the latest phase of what has been a constant struggle for recognition of their distinct identity since the beginning of the Nepali State. The Field Bulletin describes the Tharus’ continued efforts to culturally and politically organize themselves in response to what they perceive as a history of exclusion. As a trend, the broader Tharu movement has become steadily more political and sporadically yet consistently more confrontational since its beginnings in the 1950s. In the context of Nepal’s current peace process, this Field Bulletin sets out some of the structural issues that have driven the struggle by Tharu communities, which will need to be addressed if peace in Nepal is to become sustainable. -
Politics of R Esistance
Politics of Resistance Politics Tis book illustrates an exciting approach to understanding both Indigenous Peoples of Nepal are searching for the state momentous and everyday events in the history of South Asia. It which recognizes and refects their identities. Exclusion of advances notions of rupture and repair to comprehend the afermath indigenous peoples in the ruling apparatus and from resources of natural, social and personal disasters, and demonstrates the of the “modern states,” and absence of their representation and generality of the approach by seeking their historical resolution. belongingness to its structures and processes have been sources Te introduction of rice milling technology in a rural landscape of conficts. Indigenous peoples are engaged in resistance in Bengal,movements the post-cold as the warstate global has been shi factive in international in destroying, relations, instead of the assassinationbuilding, their attempt political, on a economicjournalist and in acultural rented institutions.city house inThe Kathmandu,new constitution the alternate of 2015and simultaneousfailed to address existence the issues, of violencehence the in non-violentongoing movements,struggle for political,a fash feconomic,ood caused and by cultural torrential rights rains and in the plainsdemocratization of Nepal, theof the closure country. of a China-India border afer the army invasionIf the in Tibet,country and belongs the appearance to all, if the of outsiderspeople have in andemocratic ethnic Taru hinterlandvalues, the – indigenous scholars in peoples’ this volume agenda have would analysed become the a origins, common anatomiesagenda and ofdevelopment all. If the state of these is democratic events as andruptures inclusive, and itraised would interestingaddress questions the issue regarding of justice theirto all. -
Changes in Livelihood and Caste Relations in Udipur
Change in ........ Subedi Changes in Livelihood and Caste Relations in Udipur ? Madhusudan SUBEDI Abstract There have been changes in the economic and social relations in Nepal. The market has been providing opportunities for choosing livelihood options. Livelihood diversification, particularly non-farm, appears to be growing in extent and importance in recent years. Although local wage labor has increased in farm sector, agriculture is not a path out of poverty. The relationship between caste and hereditary occupations has been less significant and there has occurred a significant shift in the bases of power. There is an increase in class consciousness and a decrease in caste consciousness; wealth is replacing birth as the basis of social power and prestige. Keywords: livelihood diversification, power relations, Jajmani system, social transformation 1. Introduction This paper presents caste relations and social transformation. It has focused principally to examine the livelihood change and its impact in caste relations in rural area which I call ‘Udipur’ located in a hilly district. I argue that changes in means of living and occupational diversification have contributed to shift caste-based relations. I had been in Udipur as a high school teacher for one and half years during 1986-87. The place was revisited in 2012-13. A caste does not exist itself. According to Leach (1960:5), ‘a caste can only be recognized in contrast to the other caste with which its members are closely involved in a network of economic, political and ritual relationships’. Deshpande (2011) argues that caste-based occupational structure has undergone a profound change and the link between caste and occupation is broken. -
The Biography of a Magar Communist Anne De Sales
The Biography of a Magar Communist Anne de Sales To cite this version: Anne de Sales. The Biography of a Magar Communist. David Gellner. Varieties of Activist Ex- periences in South Asia, Sage, pp.18-45, 2010, Governance, Conflict, and Civic Action Series. hal- 00794601 HAL Id: hal-00794601 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00794601 Submitted on 10 Mar 2013 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Chapter 2 The Biography of a Magar Communist Anne de Sales Let us begin with the end of the story: Barman Budha Magar was elected a Member of Parliament in 1991, one year after the People’s Movement (jan andolan) that put an end to thirty years of the Partyless Panchayat ‘democracy’ in Nepal. He had stood for the Samyukta Jana Morcha or United People’s Front (UPF), the political wing of the revolutionary faction of the Communist Party of Nepal, or CPN (Unity Centre).1 To the surprise of the nation, the UPF won 9 seats and the status of third-largest party with more than 3 per cent of the national vote. However, following the directives of his party,2 Barman, despite being an MP, soon went underground until he retired from political life at the time of the People’s War in 1996. -
The Double Life of Development: Peasants, Agrarian Livelihoods, and the Prehistory of Nepal's Maoist Revolution a DISSERTATION
The Double Life of Development: Peasants, Agrarian Livelihoods, and the Prehistory of Nepal’s Maoist Revolution A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Dinesh Paudel IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Vinay Gidwani and Abdi Samatar October 2012 © Dinesh Paudel 2012 Acknowledgements This dissertation is the cumulative outcome of the efforts of many individuals, institutions and communities. Any attempt to list them all — let alone offer sufficient appreciation and acknowledgment — will remain incomplete. I am forever indebted to them for their constant and transformative inspiration and intellectual and moral support, which made this work possible. The formality of “Acknowledgements” does not really capture and leaves far too understated my appreciation to my advisors Vinay Gidwani and Abdi Samatar for their tireless intellectual guidance, inspiration, patience, critical insights and unconditional support over the last five years. I have been privileged to learn from their academic acumen and commitment to change. Their incisive comments and thorough engagements in various stages of my research have taught me nuanced ways of approaching political praxis, geography and development. My sincere gratitude to them for their help in shaping my academic path and ways of thinking about the world that I hope to carry with me into my future endeavors. Likewise, I am indebted and grateful to Eric Sheppard and Dean Current, who served on my committee and also remained a special source of intellectual inspiration and academic support in my research. Their ideas are imprinted in this dissertation. I feel particularly fortunate to have worked with many scholars at the University of Minnesota. -
The Social World of the Gurungs
THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE GURUNGS Notes to accompany over eighty films made between 1968 & 2014 in central Nepal. Version 1:2 Sarah Harrison and Alan Macfarlane 1 This book, and the films to which they refer, are dedicated with deep appreciation to… Our Gurung family and friends © Sarah Harrison and Alan Macfarlane 2015 2 CONTENTS Preface to the series on ‘Changing Gurung Worlds’ 3 The village Introduction to Thak and the Gurungs 9 A few features of the village 16 The young and the old 21 Formal Education 31 Feasts, festivals and sports 37 Music – dancing, singing and the Tailor’s band 43 Society and ritual 49 Society and economy 53 Society and power 56 The virtual village in a wider world Changing Pokhara 60 Life in Pokhara 66 A Gurung family in Pokhara 73 Clan picnics – the Kebje clan in Pokhara 82 Gurung cultural identity 85 Elsewhere in Nepal: 94 A Gurung migrant worker to India 96 Gurungs in Hong Kong 101 Gurungs in the United Kingdom 105 Four Interviews 111 Video films to accompany this book 131 Brief bibliography 131 Acknowledgements 132 List of films 132 3 Preface to the Series on ‘Changing Gurung Worlds’ The Gurungs (who call themselves in their own language ‘Tamu’) are an ethnic group of about six hundred and fifty thousand people (inside Nepal) who traditionally lived at an altitude of between four and seven thousand feet in central Nepal. They are well known as one of the ‘martial tribes’ who are recruited into the Gurkha regiments of the British and Indian armies. -
Changes in Ecological Relationships of Argali Magars
Changes in Ecological Relationships of Argali Magars Man Bahadur Khattri* 1. Introduction Nepali society and culture is identified as diversity of various caste, ethnic and indigenous people, and their colorful cultural practices. The Magars of Argal are one of them. The ethnographic description and various studies show that the Magars of Nepal are the most diverse ethnic group themselves. This diversity is associated with only on regional cultural practices. However, they are also recognized themselves with different local lineal clans. Ecologists seek to establish relationship between population and their natural environment. Cultural ecologists focus their study on human populations and their adaptation to their immediate environment primarily through socio-cultural means (Kottak 1974:19). Human beings like all other animals must maintain adaptive relationships with their ecosystems in order to survive, although they achieve this adaptation principally through the medium of culture (Keesing and Strathern 1998:105). Cultural ecology as a concept and method coined by Julian Steward (1955) means the study of the processes by which a society adapts to its environments. Cultural ecology suggests what aspect of a society we should focus on the study. It also looks local variation of culture in order to adapt environment locally. In this article I have looked the relationships of inter-ethnic and inter-ecological gradients, which mediated by social-cultural mechanism i.e. ista mitra (fictive kin relationship). Ista has played role to with local production and different socio-cultural of two different ecological setting. It tries to demonstrate how socio-cultural processes transform when rice gets closer market access. -
Environmental Education and Perceptions in Eastern Nepal: Analysis of Student Drawings
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND PERCEPTIONS IN EASTERN NEPAL: ANALYSIS OF STUDENT DRAWINGS By Sara D. Keinath Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Forestry Michigan Technological University 2004 The project paper: “Environmental Education and Perceptions in Eastern Nepal: Analysis of Student Drawings” is hereby approved in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FORESTRY. School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Signatures Advisor: __________________________________ Blair D. Orr Dean: __________________________________ Margaret R. Gale Date: __________________________________ ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2 NEPAL Geography and Climate 5 People and Culture 14 Agriculture-based Economy 19 History and Current Situation 22 Education System 26 CHAPTER 3 STUDY AREA: MECHI ZONE 33 CHAPTER 4 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION 45 CHAPTER 5 METHODOLOGY AND DATA Literature Review 49 Study Design 53 CHAPTER 6 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Description 60 Interpretation 66 CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 78 LITERATURE CITED 81 APPENDIX A 89 APPENDIX B 90 iii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Class 8 students in Jhapa 1 Figure 2: Reference map of Asia 6 Figure 3: Major geographical regions of Nepal 7 Figure 4: Langtang National Park 8 Figure 5: The middle hills 9 Figure 6: The Terai 10 Figure 7: Royal Chitwan National Park 12 Figure 8: Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha 13 Figure 9: Road during monsoon