Masters of hybridity: how activists reconstructed Nepali society

Abstract

This article discusses the changes that activists have brought to Nepali society in relation to two key elements of Bruno Latour's actor‐network theory (ANT): (1) its account of modernity and (2) its radical downplaying of human agency. ANT, contrary to the way it tends to be understood, deserves to be seen, at least in Latour's treatment, as a major theory of modernity. As such, it is important and enlightening, even though its attack on human agency – at least when discussing activism – is unhelpful. On this point Ian Hacking's notion of ‘making up people’ provides a better guide. The main example explored is the new kinds of ethnic identity that have achieved state recognition and become politically influential in Nepal over the last thirty years. The case of one ethnic and religious activist, Dr Keshabman Shakya, is used to illustrate the argument. Based on notions of human rights, rather similar processes of ‘making up people’ have also occurred with other minority groups, most strikingly in the case of the ‘third gender’, a context in which Nepal is famously ‘progressive’ compared to other nation‐states in the region.

Comparative Cross-National Analyses of Domestic Violence: Insights from South Asia

“…One likely contributor is the centuries-long tradition of hegemonic masculinity encouraging war-readiness and violence. This began with the nation’s founding, accomplished through violent territorial expansion, but was enhanced when Nepali men—recognized for their fierceness—were recruited to fight for the colonial British Indian Army (Gellner, 2019). Sanday (1981) highlights the connections between the valorization of violence and violence against women, suggesting that violent norms likely contribute to Nepal’s relatively high rates of IPV.…”

“…The Maoist People’s Movement, with women’s active participation and a commitment to gender equality, succeeded in creating a multi-party democracy in 2008 (Lohani-Chase, 2014). As a consequence:Within the span of a single lifetime, Nepal has moved from a deeply hierarchical society, where caste differences were utterly taken for granted by the vast majority and supported by custom, law, and the state, to one where the invocation of universal human rights is pervasive (Gellner, 2019, p. 267).…”

“…Within the span of a single lifetime, Nepal has moved from a deeply hierarchical society, where caste differences were utterly taken for granted by the vast majority and supported by custom, law, and the state, to one where the invocation of universal human rights is pervasive (Gellner, 2019, p. 267).…”

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