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The Politics of Belonging in the Himalayas
Local Attachments and Boundary Dynamics
First Edition
Edited by:
- Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka - Bielefeld University, Germany
- Gerard Toffin - Director of Research, National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Villejuif, France
Volume:
4
May 2011 | 384 pages | SAGE India
The Politics of Belonging in the Himalayas is an exploration of the various forms of bonds and attachments by which individuals are bounded to their collectivities and localities in the Himalayan regions of India and Nepal. To grasp these phenomena adequately, the book proposes a new analytical approach through the concept of belonging.
The book is based on several case studies carried out by anthropologists, political science scholars, historians, and geographers who help bring together rich ethnographical data from different regions of the Himalayas. Organized in three parts, it describes the interactions between local forms of belonging and new forms of classification and governance imposed through national integration and transnational modes of politics.
The book analyses different types of societal formations in various historical periods and captures the ongoing change in them. Fundamentally, this collaborative publication is an attempt to go beyond (and beneath) identity constructions and to call into question the idea of permanence implied by the term.
The book is based on several case studies carried out by anthropologists, political science scholars, historians, and geographers who help bring together rich ethnographical data from different regions of the Himalayas. Organized in three parts, it describes the interactions between local forms of belonging and new forms of classification and governance imposed through national integration and transnational modes of politics.
The book analyses different types of societal formations in various historical periods and captures the ongoing change in them. Fundamentally, this collaborative publication is an attempt to go beyond (and beneath) identity constructions and to call into question the idea of permanence implied by the term.
Preface
Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka and Gérard Toffin
Introduction: Belonging and Multiple Attachments in Contemporary Himalayan Societies
I: TERRITORIALITY AND INDIGENEITY
Anne de Sales
Gisèle Krauskopff
David N Gellner
Philippe Ramirez
Sanjay Kumar Pandey
II: SOCIO-RELIGIOUS BONDING
Axel Michaels
Gérard Toffin
William Sax
Jessamine Dana
III: COMMITMENTS AND CONFLICTS
Martin Gaenszle
Ben Campbell
Joëlle Smadja
Maheshwar P Joshi
Daniela Berti
Index
Packed with interesting case stories from across the Himalayas, the rich discourse offers interesting insights on addressing emerging conflicts by applying the idea of ‘belongingness’. The Politics of Belonging in the Himalayas is an academic treatise.
The book explores various forms of bonds and attachments by which individuals in Himalayan region of India and Nepal are bound to their groups…The book, which is a part of series on Governance, Conflict, and Civil Action, explores various societal formations throughout history and captures the ongoing changes within them. This collaborative publication goes beyond and beneath, identity constructions and calls into question the idea of permanence implied by the term.
