Abstracts

Sara Shneiderman “Government Offices as Sites of Transformation: A Structural Biography of Administrative Urbanization in Suspa, Suspa Dolakha, Nepal”.

In 2017, Nepal completed its long-promised project of post-conflict state restructuring by creating 7 provinces from 75 districts, 753 municipalities and rural municipalities from over 3900 former municipalities and Village Development Committees (VDCs). This paper presents ethnographic material from one chapter of my book about 25 years of transformation in Suspa, Dolakha, a locality which in 2017 This restructuring changed the area’s formal status This restructuring changed the area’s formal status from “rural” to “urban”, and established a new ward-level municipal office where the VDC office had previously stood. Through the structural biography of the ward office, this photographically-illustrated presentation reveals how residents Through the structural biography of the ward office, this photographically-illustrated presentation reveals how residents experienced the political process of administrative restructuring in conjunction with the material and social process of post-earthquake reconstruction. These two trajectories of change unfolded in tandem, with the VDC as the initial point of contact for disaster relief after the Moving between a 2017 meeting of the first Moving between a 2017 meeting of the first formally elected local governing body in 20 years, held in a temporary shelter, to the three-story concrete building that the second cohort of elected Moving between a 2017 meeting of the first formally elected local governing body in 20 years, held in a temporary shelter, to the three-story concrete building that the second cohort of elected constituents-kin and neighbours-perceived these transformations as opportunity, challenge, or both, as they navigated I argue that such experiences generated new forms of political agency, which generated new forms of political agency, which in turn led to new opportunities for infrastructural development, embodied in the government office itself. itself.

Dipesh Kharel “The Changing Face of Alampu: Slate Mining, Modernization, and Socio-Political Transformation”

Alampu, home to the indigenous Thami people, has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. For generations, the Thami have relied on slate mining, extracting slabs from high mountain bedrock and transporting them to distant villages for sale. However, modernization is rapidly reshaping the village, a shift The disaster destroyed 99% of traditional slate-roofed, mud-walled homes, prompting an urgent need for reconstruction. A new mountain road replaced the once-isolated footpaths, improving connectivity and expanding economic opportunities. While the influx of affordable goods from outside has enhanced daily life, many villagers are now turning to labor migration in search of better wages. transformation reflects a broader shift in Alampu’s political, economic, and social landscape as traditional livelihoods give way to new opportunities and challenges.

Tatsuro Fujikura “Socio-political Changes through Panchayat to Multiparty to Federalism: A view from rural mid-western hills and Tarai, Nepal”.

In this presentation, I will provide an overview of large-scale changes in infrastructure, education and political systems from the 1990s to the present. In this presentation, I will provide an overview of large-scale changes in infrastructure, education and political systems from the 1990s to the present. from the perspective of rural residents in the hilly district of Salyan, and Tarai districts such as Dang, Banke, and Bardiya. residents’ life histories to illustrate the changing forms of engagement with the ideologies and practices of social change such as development, education, electoral democracy, and multiculturalism. education, electoral democracy, and multiculturalism.

Katsuo Nawa “Geography, Infrastructure, and Socio-Political Transformation of Chhangru , Far-western Nepal from the Panchayat Era to the Present the Present”

Chhangru is one of the two villages belonging to Byans Panchayat until 1990, then Byans Village Development Committee, and after 2017, Byans Village Municipality Word No. 1. The main inhabitants of the Byans are people who call themselves ‘Rang’ (‘Rung’) in their own language and most frequently called ‘Byansi’ in Nepali. The village is located in the Himalayan region near the border with the state of Uttarakhand, India. Traditionally the majority of the inhabitants have migrated to Darchula, the district capital, in winter, and the administrative organizations have also migrated seasonally. This presentation provides an overview of how the people of Chhangru have been involved in village-level political and administrative apparatus from the Panchayat period to the present, in relation to geographical constraints and changing infrastructure. Particularly, I focus on who have been elected as Pradhan Panchas, Village Development Committee members and Word chairpersons.