Introduction
During the period of King Mahendra’s reign in the 1960s, who declared Nepal as a ‘Zone of Peace’, the country had been able to project, both nationally and internationally, an image of sustaining harmonious caste and ethnic diversity within its territory—popularly known as ‘unity in diversity’. However, many members of the intelligentsia from the Madhesh, Dalit and indigenous communities have asserted that the image in fact represented a ‘negative peace’, masking serious hierarchical inequalities between different communities, resulting in a process of profound exclusion of many sections of Nepali society. That, instead, the Zone of Peace concept ultimately propagated the national ideals of Nepali speaking members of the so-called ‘Upper Caste’ community originating from the Mid Hills; a group that was seen as dominating most national institutions.
The appearance of unity began to disintegrate particularly after the establishment of democratic rule in 1990 as political space opened up for identity-based groups and parties to openly share their ideas, which had not been possible before. In the same context development practitioners and academics started to draw attention to the prevalence of exclusion in Nepal society, which contributed to a growing public debate on topics such as exclusion and the role of human rights in a democratic state.
During the internal armed conflict from 1996 to 2006 the Maoists drew upon the grievances of excluded groups for support, further raising general awareness on the issue of exclusion. The 2006 Jana Andolan or ‘People’s Movement’ acted as an important platform for the demand for change. This was reflected in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which set to reform Nepal in an inclusive and democratic manner, deconstruct the State’s unitary structure and address structural inequalities. Various groups felt encouraged to participate in the building of the ‘New State’ by means of drafting a new constitution. However, such an ambitious agenda of change will take time and requires compromises from all parties and may not be without contention or potential conflict.
This Field Bulletin looks at evolving relations between members of the Dalit, Magar and Upper Caste communities in Palpa District in the Western Region of Nepal. Its findings are based on observations and interviews with members of civil society and political parties, district level officials and various other community members. The Field Bulletin explores recent social and political dynamics in light of a growing political awareness amongst Dalit and Magar communities and, taking into consideration that Palpa’s demographics largely reflects the national composition (i.e. its main communities represent Nepal’s three largest population groups), its potential consequences on inter-communal relations. Finally, it explores how both traditional and contemporary cultural and religious discourses, values and beliefs continue to coexist in the district.