International Workshop on Long-Term Social Transformations in Nepal

International Workshop on Long-Term Social Transformations in Nepal

Date: March 18, 2025  14:00-18:00
Venue: Main Conference Room (303), Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo (in-person only)
Language: English
Organized by the Center for Indian Ocean World Studies at Kyoto University (KINDOWS)
Co-organized by the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia research project “Reconsidering Anthropological Studies in the Northern South Asia”, and Center for South Asian Studies, the University of Tokyo

In this conference, we will discuss on long-term social transformations in Nepal, mainly focusing on:
1. political structure from gaun panchayat to ga vi sa to gaun/nagarpalika.
2. infrastructure (road, electricity, mobile phone, etc)

Registration:
Please register using the form below beforehand.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_F5qzJbfvceMbA3R8t6wALs58zoPpjCQ2YHDEFMStdY/

Program:
14:00- Introduction
Part 1:  Comparison of Two Thangmi villages
14:10-14:30 Sara Shneiderman (the University of British Columbia)
“Government Offices as Sites of Transformation: A Structural Biography of Administrative Urbanization in Suspa, Dolakha, Nepal”
14:40-15:10 Dipesh Kharel (the University of Tokyo)
“The Changing Face of Alampu: Slate Mining, Modernization, and Socio-Political Transformation” (with short video clips)
15:10- Discussion
<Break>
Part 2:  Views from West Nepal
16:00-16:20 Tatsuro Fujikura (Kyoto University)
“Socio-political Changes through Panchayat to Multiparty to Federalism: A view from rural mid-western hills and Tarai, Nepal”
16:30-16:50 Katsuo Nawa (the University of Tokyo)
“Geography, Infrastructure, and Socio-Political Transformation of Chhangru , Far-western Nepal from the Panchayat Era to the Present”
17:00- Hiroshi Ishii (Discussant, Professor Emeritus, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)
General discussion