Making New Nepal

One of the most important political transitions to occur in South Asia in recent decades was the ouster of Nepal’s monarchy in 2006 and the institution of a democratic secular republic in 2008. Based on extensive ethnographic research between 2003 and 2015, Making New Nepal provides a snapshot of an activist generation’s political coming-of-age during a decade of civil war and ongoing democratic street protests. Amanda Snellinger illustrates this generation’s entrée into politics through the stories of five young revolutionary activists as they shift to working within the newly established party system. She explores youth in Nepali national politics as a social mechanism for political reproduction and change, demonstrating the dynamic nature of democracy as a radical ongoing process.

"This ethnography explores Nepal's political transition in the twenty-first century through the most recent generation of student activists to have entered national politics. Based on multi-sited ethnographic research between 2003 and 2015, it illuminates a generation's political coming of age during a decade of civil war (1996-2006) and ongoing democratic street protests (2003-2006), which finally ousted the monarchy in 2008 and established a democratic secular republic. It tracks this generation's entrâee into politics through the stories of five young street activists as they shift to working within mainstream politics. The concept of political regeneration is used to demonstrate how Nepal's history of activism has shaped its political discourse and practice, and how the country's democratic struggle has always been a process in which each new generation establishes itself politically by negotiating between previous acts of claim-making and new political formulations. This case study demonstrates how democracy works as a radical ongoing process rather than a formal sphere, and how the relationship between change and the status quo in Nepali national politics has created youth as a social category in politics."--Provided by publisher.

Nepal's democracy struggle has been continuing for more than six decades. Since it could not sustain a stable democratic framework even after several attempts in the past, many scholars are stating that Nepal is in permanent transition. Once again, however, it has bagged enormous success in the field of political transformation in 2006 through a highly successful but peacefully organised movement with participation of people from all fields in large numbers. But it could not deconstruct the position of the transition as it has failed to institutionalise the recently gained achievements by making a new constitution even after five years. The only positive thing is that Nepali people, along with various political parties, are still trying hard to resolve vital conflicting issues through dialogue, and come up with a new democratic constitution, though they have already missed three deadlines.

This book brings rarely voiced lives and experiences of women in Nepal to light and combines rich ethnography with discourse analysis. Multifaceted and critical, the volume situates its narrative in the profoundly transformative period after the turn of the century when ‘New Nepal’ was rising on the horizon and sheds light on Nepali women’s experiences in multiple sites, crossing class and ethnic lines. It is based on extensive fieldwork among women domestic workers, construction workers, street vendors, women from the indigenous community of Hyolmo, and others. Mainly through an ethnographic approach, the author explores Nepali women’s experiences on the ground, mostly situated in classed, ethnic, or other socio-cultural peripheries in Nepali social landscape. Through the unusually intimate narrative on these women from the global south, who are still prone to be cast into a deeply colonial, simplistic image of ‘victimized women’, readers will get a nuanced perspective of the multidimensional diversity among these women as well as a sense of kinship with oneself. The book will be invaluable for researchers and students of gender studies, global south studies, development studies, cultural anthropology/ethnography, Nepal studies, and feminist geography. It will be of interest to anthropologists, sociologists, geographers, policymakers, and those with an interest in global gender issues.

''...unmatched in its meticulous and careful research into the wellsprings of a truly unique relationship between two neighbouring states.'' SHYAM SARAN ''Ranjit Rae''s portrayal of India-Nepal relations from the Indian perspective is meticulous, nuanced and insightful." S.D. MUNI ''Ranjit Rae breaks down the paradox of India''s very intimate yet troubled relationship with Nepal.'' C. RAJA MOHAN The first two decades of the new millennium have witnessed a dramatic socio-political transformation of Nepal. A violent Maoist insurgency ended peacefully, a new constitution abolished the monarchy and established a secular federal democratic republic. Nevertheless, political stability and a peace dividend have both remained elusive. Nepal is also buffeted by changing geopolitics, including the US-China contestation for influence and the uneasy relationship between India and China. As a close neighbour, India has been deeply associated with the seminal changes in Nepal, and the bilateral relationship has seen many twists and turns. Partly a memoir, this book examines India''s perspective on these developments, in the context of the civilizational and economic underpinnings of the India-Nepal relationship, as well as issues that continue to prevent this relationship from exploiting its full potential. Though there are several Nepalese accounts that deal with this subject, there are few from an Indian point of view. Kathmandu Dilemma fills this gap.

This book systematically analyzes why constitutions do not survive in Nepal, despite sixty years of constitutional history. The author discusses the epistemology of ethnic federalism in Nepal and examines the challenges of nation building and post-nation constitutionalism. The work addresses the connection between ethnic identity, right to self-determination, constitution making and state restructuring, offering possible ways forward for Nepal. Chapters consider lessons to be drawn from the past and examine reasons for the abolition of monarchy in Nepal. The book highlights the major problems that the first elected Constituent Assembly (CA) faced in promulgating a new constitution, before it was dissolved in 2012. The concept of right to self-determination and its complexities at the domestic level are all explored, along with ways forward to address the problem of constitutionalism, ethnic federalism and democracy. The author offers solutions as to how the second CA could address problems to promulgate a new constitution. The book elaborates on the role that constitutionalism plays in constitution making and the survival of a constitution. Scholars of politics and international studies, policy makers and those with an interest in law and constitution in Asia will all find this work of interest.

Report of the UNDP National Conference on "Constitution Making in Nepal", March 3-4, 2007, Kathmandu, Nepal.