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Perspectives on Chhetri identity and how these relate to federalism - Issue 46
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There has been a marked change in the discourse of many Chhetri actors about their identity since the end of Nepal’s conflict in 2006 when they first began to assert their ‘ingenuousness’ and act politically on the basis of their identity. Since early 2010, various Chhetri groups have become increasingly active, both organizationally and politically, at the local and central levels and played an increasingly visible role in national level debates on federalism, identity and inclusion. Following a series of protests in the early part of 2012, in which Chhetri Samaj Nepal and other groups demanded ‘Adibasi’ (indigenous) status, the Government of Nepal (GoN) announced on 18 May 2012 that it would categorise the Brahmin, Chhetri, Thakuri, Dasnami, Sanyasi and Dalit communities as ’Khas Arya Adibasi’. The Nepal Federation for Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) flatly rejected this decision and some Dalis organizations rejected the new caricaturisation. According to the Asia Indigenous Peoples’ Pact,the agreement was aimed to allow ‘certain groups to continue to dominate, muddle and diffuse the rightful entitlement of indigenous peoples to self-determination in the new constitution’. The debate about who is, and who is not, indigenous to Nepal could play a major role in the process to negotiate the formation of provinces in a federal Nepal and the rights of the various communities living in them. The inclusion debate, as well as the debate over federalism, has led to the ’surfacing of fault-lines hitherto unknown or unappreciated Nepal. This Field Bulletin looks at the different perspectives on Chhetri identity in Nepal and how these relate to federalism, the peace process and the broader debate on identity and social inclusion in Nepal. It attempts to clarify why a Chhetri social organization, the Chhetri Samaj Nepal, has chosen to advocate for Chhetris to be classified as Adibasi and Khas, as this has not always been the case. It also examines the way in which identity in Nepal is constantly evolving and how the debates around identity and ‘indigenous’ are part of wider political tensions. Furthermore, it highlights some of the issues that could provoke future tensions between actors whose agendas contradict each other.
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Publisher:
UNRCHCO
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(2012
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Type / Script:
Bulletin or Poster
in English
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Keywords:
INDIGENOUS, STATE COUNCIL, LINGUISTIC CATAGORY, ARISTOCRACY, MINORITIES, PREJUDICES,TOLERANCE, CULTURAL IDENTITY, ETHNOCENTRISM, INDIGENOUS NATIONALITY, DISEMPOWERED, INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT, INDIGENOUS CULTURE, FEDERALISM, IDENTITY, INCLUSION, SOCIAL INCLUSION, POLITICAL AGENDAS, SOCIAL ORGANISATION, IDENTITY CRISIS
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Thematic Group:
UNRCHCO (UNRCO)
:
UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Office (UN Resident Coordinator Office)
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Thesaurus:
14.05.03
- Social Development
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Reference Link:
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