By: Sarah Watson
April 22, 2023
My project intends to understand the connection, or lack thereof, between Hindu philosophy and the caste system in Nepal. It analyzes the cross-cutting role of caste throughout Nepal’s religious groups, even outside of Hinduism. The project then charts the development of Nepal’s social hierarchy from religious texts to embedded political practices of discrimination against lower castes and Janijati ethnic minorities. After establishing the role of caste in Nepal’s society, it analyzes the socioeconomic, political, and legal exclusion of Dalit caste communities. Finally, this project uses the 2015 Gorkha earthquake as a lens of analysis to understand pre-existing vulnerabilities for marginalized groups (based on caste, ethnicity, and religion) before, during, and after the earthquake.
Aasland, Aadne, and Marit Haug. “Perceptions of Social Change in Nepal: Are Caste, Ethnicity, and Region of Relevance?” Journal of Asian and African Studies 46, no. 2 (2011): 184-201.
Adhikari, Bipin, Parash Mani Bhandari, Dipika Neupane, and Shiva Raj Mishra. “A Retrospective Analysis of Mortality from 2015 Gorkha Earthquakes of Nepal: Evidence and Future Recommendations.” Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness 15, no. 1 (2020): 127-133.
Arora, Shubhda. “Intersectional Vulnerability in Post‐Disaster Contexts: Lived Experiences of Dalit Women after the Nepal Earthquake, 2015.” Disasters 46, no. 2 (2022): 329-347.
Bennett, Lynn, Dilli Ram Dahal, and Pavalavalli Govindasamy. Caste, Ethnic, and Regional Identity in Nepal: Further Analysis of the 2006 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey. Kathmandu: Population Division, Ministry of Health and Population, Government of Nepal, 2008.
Beteille, André. Caste, Class, and Power: Changing Patterns of Stratification in Tanjore Village. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1965.
Bista, Dor Bahadur. Fatalism and Development: Nepal's Struggle for Modernization. Kolkata: Orient Longman, 2008.
Subedi, Madhusudan. “Caste in South Asia: From Ritual Hierarchy to Politics of Difference.” Politeja 13, no. 40 (2016): 319-339.
Nadkarni, M. V. “Is Caste System Intrinsic to Hinduism? Demolishing a Myth.” Economic and Political Weekly 38, no. 45 (2013): 4783-4793.
Sarah Watson (SFS’23) is an undergraduate student in the Walsh School of Foreign Service majoring in regional and comparative studies and with minors in Persian and religion, ethics, and world affairs. Her research focuses on water politics in South and Central Asia. Her capstone is based on research in Nepal in the summer of 2022, supported by the Berkley Center.
