Chautari Annual Conference - 2025 (Program Schedule)
2025-11-17Chautari Annual Conference – 2025
Organized by Martin Chautari (MC) | Venue: Martin Chautari, Thapathali, Kathmandu
26–28 November 2025 (10–12 Mangsir 2082)
09:00 a.m.
Tea/Registration
09:20 a.m.
Opening Remarks: Kumar Pandey, Chair, Martin Chautari, Nepal
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Hall A |
Hall B |
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09:30 a.m.
Panel 1: Climate Change and Conservation Moderator: Gyanu Maskey, Thematic Lead–Climate, Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), Nepal
Paper I: An Ethnographic Study of the Wambule Rai’s Knowledge and Experiences of Climate Change in Eastern Nepal
Paper II: Community-based Adaptation Strategies for Climate Resilience in Nepal’s Rural Areas
Paper III: Living Alongside the National Park: An Ethnographic Study of the Effects of Conservation Governance in Amritpur Dil Raj Rai, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Floor Discussion |
09:30 a.m.
Panel 2: नेपालमा विद्यालय शिक्षाको इतिहास - १ Moderator: Pratyoush Onta, Martin Chautari, Nepal
Paper I: Education for Women: Chandrakanta’s Life and Kanya Pathshala
Paper II: “शहीदको पहिचानभन्दा पर” : सार्वजनिक शिक्षा प्रवर्धकका रूपमा शुक्रराज शास्त्री
Paper III: कन्या स्कूल : राणाकालीन नेपालमा छोरीलाई शिक्षा, पितृसत्तात्मक समाज र समानताको लागि संघर्ष
Floor Discussion |
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11:00 a.m. (Break) |
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11:15 a.m.
Panel 3: Law and Religion
Moderator: Janak Rai, Associate Professor, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Paper I: The 2015 Blockade Retold: Hindutva and Nepali Constitution Enrico Beltramini, Retired Professor in Theology, Notre Dame de Namur University, USA
Paper II: Meat, Myth and Marginalization: A Historical Evolution of Cow-slaughter Ban Laws in Nepal Binod Poudel, Independent Researcher
Paper III: Crime Victims’ Right to Compensation through Victim Relief Fund in Nepal Samana Kafle, Kaski District Court, Nepal
Floor Discussion |
11:15 a.m.
Panel 4: Digitalization and Media Landscape
Moderator: Kamal Dev Bhattarai, Editor, The Annapurna Express, Nepal
Paper I: नेपालका समाचार कक्षमा एआईको अभ्यास अजय शर्मा, उप-सम्पादक, गोरखापत्र, नेपाल र शिव पुरी, अध्यक्ष, अडियो भिजुअल इण्डलेश सोलुशन, नेपाल
Paper II: Implementation of Journalists’ Code of Conduct in Nepali Online Media Bijeesha Budhathoki, Journalist, Nepal
Paper III: Digital Divide in Nepal: An Exploratory Analysis Indra Giri, Senior Researcher, Sankhya Solutions, Nepal; and Ram Narayan Shrestha, Assistant Professor in Economics, Kathmandu University School of Management, Nepal
Floor Discussion |
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12:45 p.m. (Lunch Break) |
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01:30 p.m.
Panel 5: Tourism, Identity and Local Development
Moderator: Seira Tamang, Martin Chautari, Nepal
Paper I: Cross-border Tourism Cooperation between China and Nepal under the BRI: The Case of Gyirong Port Liu Yu, Finance and Economic School, Xizang Minzu University, China; and Yang Hao Hua, Graduate Student, Xizang Minzu University, China
Paper II: The Different Dimensions of Federalism at the Local Level: A Case Study of Jalapa Village in Khotang District Heema Rai, The Open Institute for Social Science, Lalitpur, Nepal
Paper III: Call Me By Your (User) Name: Exploration of Fluidity of Queer Identities through Social Media in Nepal Shripa Pradhan, Masters in Counseling Psychology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Floor Discussion |
01:30 p.m.
Panel 6: Culture, Conservation and Conflict
Moderator: JB Biswokarma, Dignity Initiative, Nepal
Paper I: मुन्धुम, मुन्धुमी भूमि र मुक्कुमलुङ संरक्षणको अवधारणा अमर तुम्याहाङ, उपप्राध्यापक, सानोठिमी क्याम्पस, नेपाल
Paper II: “मुक्कुमलुङ हाम्रो चोत्लुङ हो”: आदिवासी भूमि संरक्षणको संघर्ष र “नो केबलकार” आन्दोलन कैलाश राई, कार्यकारी निर्देशक, इन्डिजिनियस विदाउट बोर्डर्स्, नेपाल
Paper III: Nature, Culture and Rights in the Eastern Himalaya: A Case Study of Mukkumlung Sacred Landscape
Floor Discussion |
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3:00 p.m. (Break) |
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03:15 p.m.
Panel 7: Making and Unmaking of Identities of Nepal
Moderator: Jhakendra Gharti Magar, Assistant Professor in Sociology, Patan Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Paper I: Echoes of Existence, Identity and Socio-political Past: A Critical Ethnography of Santhal Community of Morang District of Nepal Bishnu Magar, Lecturer, Urlabari Multiple Campus, Morang, Nepal
Paper II: Contesting the Kiranti Identity: A Study of Rai and Limbu Community of Eastern Nepal Ojaswini Rai, PhD Scholar, South Asian University, India
Paper III: थारू समुदायको बलिदानीको गाथा कृष्णराज सर्वहारी, अनुसन्धाता, नेपाल
Floor Discussion |
03:15 p.m.
Panel 8: Youth Aspiration and Precarity
Moderator: Phoenix Kenney Shrestha, University of Cambridge, UK
Paper I: Making Viable Lives: Precarity, Aspirations, and Youth Futures in Nepal Avash Piya, Research Fellow, Kathmandu University-Nepal Centre for Contemporary Studies (KU-NCCS); and Jeevan R. Sharma, Professor in Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh, UK
Paper II: Creative Pathways to a Community-defined Research Agenda: Leveraging Human Centered Design and Arts-based Methodologies to Address Chhaupadi in Far-West Nepal Hannah Schwarz, Doctoral Student, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Bhimsen Devkota, Professor in Health Education, TU, Nepal; Puja Gartaula, Department of Psychology, Padmakanya Multiple Campus, TU, Nepal; Brigit Joseph, University of Pennsylvania, USA; Sanjana Murthy, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, USA; and Sara Baumann, University of Pittsburgh, USA
Floor Discussion |
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04:45 p.m. (Break) |
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05:00 p.m. |
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05:30 p.m. (End of Day I) |
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09:00 a.m.
Tea/Registration
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Hall A |
Hall B |
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09:30 a.m.
Panel 9: Diaspora, Migration and Identity
Moderator: Pranab Kharel, Martin Chautari, Nepal
Paper I: Discourses of Identity and Belonging in Nepali Diasporic Media in India: Historical Investigations through the Lens of Nepali Weekly Gorkha Sansar Barun Roy, Assistant Professor, Department of Mass Communication, University of North Bengal, India
Paper II: Ambivalent Solidarities: Social Networks, Precarity, and Belonging in the Nepalese Diaspora of the San Francisco Bay Area Manju von Rospatt, Research Fellow, Nepal Economic Forum
Paper III: बौद्धिक प्रवासनका सामाजिक मनोवैज्ञानिक आधारहरू: एक समाजशास्त्रीय अध्ययन घनश्याम पौडेल, पत्रकार/स्वतन्त्र अनुसन्धाता, नेपाल
Floor Discussion |
09:30 a.m.
Panel 10: Self, Narrative and Repetition
Moderator: Dinesh Kafle, Acting Associate Director, Global Engagement Division, Office the Vice Chancellor, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Paper I: Transformation of Self in Shradha Ghale’s The Wayward Daughter Nirjala Adhikari, Rising Star School, Kathmandu, Nepal
Paper II: The Question of Originality in Reconstruction of a Narrative: A Comparative Study between “The Death of a Government Clerk” and “Doshi Chasma” Niran Khanal, Assistant Professor in English, Padmakanya Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Paper III: Repetition as Potential to Survive: A Study of Pottery in Pottery Square, Bhaktapur Trilok Nath Prajapati; and Prawesh Rai, Institute of Advanced Communication, Education, and Research (IACER), Pokhara University, Nepal
Floor Discussion |
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11:00 a.m. (Break) |
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11:15 a.m.
Panel 11: School Education and Pedagogy
Moderator: Pramod Bhatta, Martin Chautari, Nepal
Paper I: What Schools Don’t Teach: Emotional Gaps in Nepal’s Elite Education System Bandana Adhikary, PhD Student in Anthropology, Brunel University, UK
Paper II: सामुदायिक माध्यमिक विद्यालयको कार्यसम्पादन परीक्षण : अवस्था विश्लेषण देवीराम आचार्य, निर्देशक, शैक्षिक गुणस्तर परीक्षण केन्द्र, नेपाल
Paper III: Bhaktapur’s Local Curriculum: Implementation and Challenges Rasmi Khagi, Institute of Advanced Communication, Education, and Research (IACER), Pokhara University, Nepal
Floor Discussion |
11:15 a.m.
Panel 12: Phenomenology, Bibliometry and Auto-ethnography
Moderator: Sabin Ninglekhu, Social Science Baha, Nepal
Paper I: Changing Landscape of a River Like Kulo (Sohra-Chhattis Mauja Irrigation System): A Phenomenological Experience of People in Butwal Sabin Gyawali, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Paper II: Precision Agriculture in Hilly Regions: A Bibliometric Assessment of Global Research Trends Namsa Hang Limbu, PhD Scholar, SRM University Sikkim, India
Paper III: Bihe before Bhoj: Initiating an Autoethnography of Marriage Norms in Kathmandu Phoenix Kenney Shrestha, University of Cambridge, UK
Floor Discussion |
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12:45 p.m. (Lunch Break) |
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01:30 p.m.
Panel 13: Research and Academic Freedom
Moderator: TBC
Paper I: Transitioning to a Research-also University: Tribhuvan University during the 1970s Pratyoush Onta, Martin Chautari, Nepal
Paper II: Mapping the Landscape of Academic Freedom in Nepal through Focus on the Research and Publication Ecosystem Pranab Kharel, Martin Chautari, Nepal
Floor Discussion |
01:30 p.m.
Panel 14: नेपालमा विद्यालय शिक्षाको इतिहास - २
Moderator: Arjun Panthi, Independent Researcher, Nepal
Paper I: गुरुङ गाउँमा शिक्षा विस्तार : स्याङ्जामा भाषा पाठशाला र पोस्टवार रिकन्सट्रक्शन फण्ड (वि.सं. १९८७–२०२३) रुख गुरुङ, मार्टिन चौतारी, नेपाल
Paper II: शिक्षा, राजनीति र पोखराको पहिलो आधुनिक स्कूल लोकरञ्जन पराजुली, मार्टिन चौतारी, नेपाल
Floor Discussion |
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02:30 p.m. (Break) |
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02:45 p.m.
Panel 15: Trafficking, Stigma and Suffering
Moderator: Bijaya Shrestha, Senior Research Officer, Menzies School of Health Research, Australia
Paper I: Marginalized Yet Resilient: Exploring the Paradox of Sex Workers’ Status in Nepal Sujeet Karn, Visiting Faculty, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Paper II: Harmonizing Legislation Beyond Borders: Cross-border Cooperation on Anti-human Trafficking between Nepal and India Mohd Rameez Raza, Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur, India; and Anushka Chaturvedi, Assistant Program Manager, Study Hall Education Foundation, India
Paper III: Challenges of Human Trafficking Survivors in Anti-trafficking Efforts: A Phenomenological Study Kranti Tamang, Kadambari Memorial College, Nepal
Paper IV: A Participatory Exploration of Intersecting Vulnerabilities and the Impacts of Stigmatization on Youth and Women in Kathmandu and Sindhupalchok District in Nepal Geetanjali Gill, Associate Professor, Global Development Studies, University of the Fraser Valley, Canada; Shikha Sunuwar, Independent Researcher, Nepal; and Dwarika Thebe, Independent Researcher, Nepal
Floor Discussion |
02:45 p.m.
Panel 16: Public Health in Nepal
Moderator: Susmita Nepal, Assistant Professor, Om Health Campus, Nepal
Paper I: In Search of Better Health: An Ethnographic Inquiry of Chepang Communities from Raksirang, Makwanpur, Nepal Jhabindra Bhandari, PhD Scholar, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Paper II: Reflecting on the Effectiveness of Resource Kit for Menstruation Education (R4ME) in Nepal Kishore Shrestha, Consultant, Global Action Nepal; Sara Parker, Professor, Liverpool John Moores University, UK; Madhusudan Subedi, Professor, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal and Martin Chautari; Babu Kaji Shrestha; and Shree Krishna Wenju, Program Director, Global Action Nepal
Paper III: Glosssophobia among Nursing Students of Selected Colleges in Kathmandu Pratima Rajbanshi; and Sumita Pathak; Kathmandu Model Hospital School of Nursing, Nepal
Floor Discussion |
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04:45 p.m. (End of Day II) |
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09:00 a.m.
Tea/Registration
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Hall A |
Hall B |
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09:30 a.m.
Panel 17: The Indian Gaze on Nepal
Moderator: Bhaskar Gautam, North South Collectives, Nepal
Paper I: Under the Nehruvian Shadow: A Study of India’s Nepal Policy (1950s and 1960s) Sidhant Kumar, PhD Scholar, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
Paper II: History of India’s Economic Aid Diplomacy with Nepal: State-building, Aid and the Himalayan Geopolitics (1947-1964) Navnath Dinkar Phadatare, PhD Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, India
Paper III: Indian Diplomatic Reportage on Nepal in the 1960s
Floor Discussion |
09:30 a.m.
Panel 18: Migration and Mobility
Moderator: Avash Piya, Research Fellow, Kathmandu University-Nepal Centre for Contemporary Studies
Paper I: History and Evolution of Migration Research in Nepal: A Bibliometric Study Khem Raj Shreesh, Editor/Independent Researcher, Nepal
Paper II: Beyond Brain Drain: Reframing Educational Migration and Returnees in Nepal’s Development Discourse Krishna Kumar Sah, Senior Program Coordinator, Federalism and Localization Centre, Nepal
Paper III: Circulating Labour in the Eastern Himalayas: Understanding Bharia Labour Mobility from Nepal to Darjeeling Hills and Beyond Ambika Rai, Assistant Professor in Sociology, Sikkim Manipal University, India
Floor Discussion |
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11:00 a.m. (Break) |
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11:15 a.m.
Panel 19: Tourism, Heritage and Religion
Moderator: Monalisa Maharjan, Resident Representative, South Asia Institute (SAI), Kathmandu Branch Office, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Paper I: From Birthplace to Mahaparinirvana: Interlinking Lumbini and Kushinagar through India’s Buddhist Circuit Initiative Upendra Kumar, PhD Student, Malaviya Centre for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University, India
Paper II: Heritage Diplomacy: Let’s Bring Back the Gods Sahayog Ranjit, Senior Reporter, Bizmandu.com, Nepal
Floor Discussion |
11:15 a.m.
Moderator: Dwarika Thebe, Independent Researcher, Nepal
Paper II: Interactional Hierarchical Theory and Land Broker Prapanna Maskey, Lecturer, Patan Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Floor Discussion |
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12:45 p.m. (Lunch Break) |
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01:30 p.m.
Panel 21: Women, Identity and Belonging
Moderator: Kailash Rai, Executive Director, Indigenous without Borders, Nepal
Paper I: Identity, Rejection, and Belonging: The Citizenship Struggle of Madheshi and Muslim Women in Lumbini Province Chihiro Kawaguchi, PhD Student, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University, Japan
Paper II: Status of Madheshi Women in Nepal Ranju Yadav, PhD Candidate, Department of Gender Studies, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Paper III: What does it Mean to be Newar Women in Contemporary Kathmandu? A Narrative Study on Exploring Young Newar Women’s Social Identity
Floor Discussion |
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03:00 p.m. (Break) |
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03:30 p.m. |
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05:00 p.m. Closing Remarks |
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Note: Each paper presenter will summarize his/her paper within 15 minutes. A designated moderator will share his/her comments on all papers in the panel in 10 minutes, and remaining time will be available for floor discussion. |
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