In 1990 Nepal's Peoples Movement reduced King Birendra from an absolute ruler to a constitutional monarch. This book is the first academic analysis of these events and places the 'revolution' of 1990 within the context of Nepali history. Louise Brown examines the background to Nepal's recent upheavals as well as covering the country's ealy history and its continuing problems of national integration. The previous, unsuccessful, democratic experiment and the nature of monarchical rule are discussed within an analysis of Nepal's social and economic modernisation. The evolution of political parties, Nepal's foreign relations and development issues - and the way in which these have moulded the political system - are explored in depth. Drawing on extensive interviews with leading politicians and influential figures the author provides a comprehensive survey of the Himalayan Kingdom's political development. This is an original contribution to the debate on democratization in the developing world.

An ethnographic study of music, performance, migration, and circulation, Singing Across Divides examines how forms of love and intimacy are linked to changing conceptions of political solidarity and forms of belonging, through the lens of Nepali dohori song. The book describes dohori improvised, dialogic singing, in which a witty repartee of exchanges is based on poetic couplets with a fixed rhyme scheme, often backed by instrumental music and accompanying dance, performed between men and women, with a primary focus on romantic love. The book tells the story of dohori's relationship with changing ideas of Nepal as a nation-state, and how different nationalist concepts of unity have incorporated marginality, in the intersectional arenas of caste, indigeneity, class, gender, and regional identity. Dohori gets at the heart of tensions around ethnic, caste, and gender difference, as it promotes potentially destabilizing musical and poetic interactions, love, sex, and marriage across these social divides. In the aftermath of Nepal's ten-year civil war, changing political realities, increased migration, and circulation of people, media and practices are redefining concepts of appropriate intimate relationships and their associated systems of exchange. Through multi-sited ethnography of performances, media production, circulation, reception, and the daily lives of performers and fans in Nepal and the UK, Singing Across Divides examines how people use dohori to challenge (and uphold) social categories, while also creating affective solidarities.

Contradicting the popular thesis that contentious politics generally promotes democratization, this topical book shows that some forms of contentious politics can hinder it, even as other forms strengthen democracy. It also suggests that the nature of activities—whether they are coercive or voluntary—lead to different effects on democratization. A timely addition to the literature on Nepal, it will be of interest to scholars studying democratic politics, as well as practitioners engaged in nurturing development in fledgling democracies.

This book argues that ethnic politics have the potential to strengthen rather than destabilize democracy. It studies one of Nepal’s most significant social movements and examines the role it has played in the process of democratization in Nepal. It demonstrates that ethnic parties are not antithetical to democracy and that democratization can proceed in diverse and unexpected ways.

The Bullet and the Ballot Box offers a rich and sweeping account of a decade of revolutionary upheaval. When Nepal’s Maoists launched their armed rebellion in the nineties, they had limited public support and many argued that their ideology was obsolete. Twelve years later they were in power, and their ambitious plan of social transformation dominated the national agenda. How did this become possible? Adhikari’s narrative draws on a broad range of sources – including novels, letters and diaries – to illuminate the history and human drama of the Maoist revolution. An indispensible account of Nepal’s recent history, the book offers a fascinating case study of how communist ideology has been reinterpreted and translated into political action in the twenty-first century.