David Gellner and Krishna Adhikari have recently been awarded a grant of nearly £300,000, funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund, for research on 'The Dalit Search for Dignity: State, Society, and Mobilisation from Below in Far West Nepal' under the British Academy's Heritage, Dignity and Violence programme.
Nepal’s Dalits (ex-Untouchables, population nearly 3.5 million) remain at the bottom of society by all measures despite huge changes in the last 50 years. The possibility of building on their artisan and artistic heritage is compromised by pervasive stigma; they continue to face discrimination and at times violence. Building on earlier research, this project brings together a highly experienced interdisciplinary team, including Dalit scholars, to investigate the experience of Dalitness in the Mid and Far West Nepal, the poorest and most conservative parts of the country. The aim is to understand from below the position of Dalits, and how far mobilisation for dignity under the label ‘Dalit’ is viable.
More information on the announcement is available here.
