Selected Abstracts and Panels for the Chautari Annual Conference - 2025

S.N.

Paper Title/Authors

1.

Caught between Love and Law: Socio-legal Responses to Adolescent Sexual Relationships and Statutory Rape Law in Nepal
Aastha Dhungel, Attorney-at-law, Devashish Kanooni Sewa, Nepal; and Reema Dhungel, Public Health Professional/MA in Anthropology, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

2.

When the Rain Stops, Do the Rings Come Early? The Impact of Rainfall Shocks on Child Marriage in Nepal
Adish Karki, BA in Economics, Kathmandu University School of Arts, Nepal

3.

नेपालका समाचार कक्षमा एआईको अभ्यास
अजय शर्मा, उप-सम्पादक, गोरखापत्र र शिव पुरी, अध्यक्ष, अडियो भिजुअल इण्डलेश सोलुशन, नेपाल

4.

Circulating Labour in the Eastern Himalayas: Understanding Bharia Labour Mobility from Nepal to Darjeeling Hills and Beyond
Ambika Rai, Assistant Professor in Sociology, Centre for Distance and Online Education, Sikkim Manipal University, India

5.

Gendered Water Governance in the Global South: A Case Study of Nepal
Ammu S. Anil, PhD Research Scholar, MMAJ Academy Of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, India

6.

Insurgent Identity and the Necropolitics of Labour Migration in Post-conflict Nepal
Ankita Shrestha, PhD in Human Geography, Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, Norway

7.

The Living Mountain: Mt. Kanchenjunga’s Role as a Bridge between India and Nepal’s Natural Heritage
Arindam Dey, University of North Bengal, India

8.

Does Political Development Lead to Strong Political Institutions? A Process-tracing Analysis of Nepal
Ashish Ghimire, Independent Researcher

9.

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

10.

What Schools Don’t Teach: Emotional Gaps in Nepal’s Elite Education System
Bandana Adhikary, PhD Student in Anthropology, Brunel University, UK

11.

Discourses of Identity and Belonging in Nepali Diasporic Media in India
Barun Roy, Assistant Professor, Department of Mass Communication, University of North Bengal, India

12.

Implementation of Journalists’ Code of Conduct in Nepali Online Media
Bijeesha Budhathoki, Journalist

13.

Identification of Antibiotic Resistance Escherichia Coli from Upstream of Bagmati River: Implication for Public Health
Bindu Ghimire, Lecturer, Department of Microbiology, Tri-chandra College, Tribhuvan University, Nepal and Prakash Singh Thapa, PhD Candidate, Ishikawa Prefectural University, Japan

14.

The Criminalization of Beef: Historical Evolution and Its Impact on Marginalized Communities
Binod Poudel, Independent Researcher

15.

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

16.

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

17.

High Himalaya Entanglements: Trekking and Nature
Debaditya Dutta, Assistant Professor in Sociology, Government General Degree College, Mangalkote, India

18.

A Content Analysis of Migrants’ Representation in the Documentaries in Search of the Riyal and the Riyalists
Deepali Shrestha, Department of Languages and Mass Communication, Kathmandu University School of Arts, Nepal

19.

Status of Community Secondary School: Result of School Performance Audit
Devi Ram Acharya, PhD Scholar, Kathmandu University School of Education, Nepal

20.

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

21.

The 2015 Blockade Retold: Hindutva and Nepali Constitution
Enrico Beltramini, Retired Professor in Theology, Notre Dame de Namur University, USA

22.

Adoption, Vansha, and Lineal Masculinity: Negotiating Fatherhood and Reproductive Failure in Nepal
Gaurav Lamichhane, Faculty, Institute of Advanced Communication, Education, and Research, Pokhara University, Nepal

23.

A Participatory Exploration of Intersecting Vulnerabilities and the Impacts of Stigmatization on Youth and Women in Kathmandu and Sindhupalchowk District in Nepal
Geetanjali Gill, Associate Professor, Global Development Studies, University of the Fraser Valley, Canada; Dwarika Thebe, Researcher, Salasan Nepal; Shikha Sunuwar, Researcher, Salasan Nepal; and  Kanta Singh, Project Manager, Salasan Nepal

24.

बौद्धिक प्रवासनका सामाजिक मनोवैज्ञानिक आधारहरू : एक समाजशास्त्रीय अध्ययन
घनश्याम पौडेल, पत्रकार/स्वतन्त्र अनुसन्धाता

25.

Tracing the Persistent Learning Poverty in Madhesh: Insights from Longitudinal Foundational Assessment Data
Gunjan Jha, Assessment and Action Manager, ASER Nepal/Galli Gali

26.

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, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Puja Gartaula, Department of Psychology, Padmakanya Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Brigit Joseph, University of Pennsylvania, USA;  Sanjana Murthy, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, USA; and Sara Baumann, Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, USA

27.

The Different Dimensions of Federalism at the Local Level: A Case Study of Jalapa Village in Khotang District
Heema Rai, Researcher/Development Consultant

28.

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

29.

Displaced and Dispossessed: Landlessness and the Marginalization of the Bankariya People
Jag Bahadur Budha, PhD Student, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

30.

Exploration on Interconnection between Women’s Unpaid Care Work and Menstrual Hygiene: A Case from Dailekh District, Nepal
Jamuna Siwakoti, Lecturer, Department of Gender Studies, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

31.

Strategies of Nepali Journalists and Media in Nepal’s Democratic Movement (2002 to 2006)
Jeevan Baniya, Deputy Director, Social Science Baha, Nepal

32.

The Spillovers of Aid: The Impact of Western Retreat from Foreign Aid in Nepal
Jeevan R. Sharma, Professor in Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh, UK; Avash Piya, Research Fellow, Kathmandu University-Nepal Centre for Contemporary Studies (KU-NCCS); and Monalisa Adhikari, Associate Professor in International Politics, University of Stirling, UK

33.

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

34.

Navigating the Legal Landscape of Drug Abuse in Nepal: Challenges and Prospects
Jivesh Jha, Section Officer, Morang District Court, Biratnagar, Nepal and Bishnu Chandra Nepali, Section Officer, Rajbiraj High Court, Saptari, Nepal

35.

Sociocultural Integration through Trans Border Trade between India and Nepal: A Study on the Kakarbhitta-Panitanki Border
Keya Mahanta, University of North Bengal, India

36.

The Evolution of Migration Research in Nepal, 1960-2018: A Bibliometric Perspective
Khem Raj Shreesh, Editor/Independent Researcher

37.

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

38.

Challenges of Human Trafficking Survivors in Anti-trafficking Efforts: A Phenomenological Study
Kranti Tamang, Kadambari Memorial College, Nepal

39.

Beyond Brain Drain: Reframing Educational Migration and Returnees in Nepal’s Development Discourse
Krishna Kumar Sah, Senior Program Coordinator, Federalism and Localization Centre, Nepal

40.

थारू समुदायको बलिदानीको इतिहास
कृष्णराज सर्वहारी, अनुसन्धाता

41.

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

42.

(Digital) Diasporic Social Networks of Nepalese Immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area of California
Manju von Rospatt, Independent Researcher, Research Insights International, and Inclusive Development Management and Research Center (IDRC) Nepal

43.

Agricultural Attachment among the Gorkha Muslims: Past, Present and Future
Md. Faruk Hossain, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh

44.

Digital Silk Road in Nepal: Opportunities for Achieve Digital Nepal Framework
Mohammad Maruf Hasan, Associate Professor, School of International Studies, Sichuan University, China

45.

Harmonizing Legislations beyond Borders: Cross-border Cooperation on 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

46.

‘Discreet Dominance’: Peacekeeping Deployments and International Security Force Assistance, and Their Impact on Civil-military Relations
Monalisa Adhikari, Associate Professor in International Politics, University of Stirling, UK

47.

Precision Agriculture in Hilly Regions: A Bibliometric Assessment of Global Research Trends
Namsa Hang Limbu, PhD Scholar, SRM University Sikkim, India

48.

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

49.

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

50.

Transformation of Self in Shradha Ghale’s The Wayward Daughter
Nirjala Adhikari, Rising Star School, Kathmandu, Nepal

51.

Constructing Kiranti Identity: Changes, Challenges, and Conflicts within the Rai and Limbu Community
Ojaswini Rai, PhD Scholar, South Asian University, India

52.

How Nepal’s Domestic Politics Impede Its Foreign Policy
Pamir Gautam, Independent Researcher, Nepal

53.

Bihe before Bhoj: Initiating an Autoethnography of Marriage Norms in Kathmandu
Phoenix Kenney Shrestha, PhD Scholar, University of Cambridge, UK

54.

Public Education through ‘Semi-public’ Schools: State-community Relations in the Provision of School Education in Nepal
Pramod Bhatta, Martin Chautari

55.

Interactional Hierarchical Theory and Land Broker
Prapanna Maskey, Lecturer, Patan Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

56.

Glosssophobia among Nursing Students of Selected Colleges in Kathmandu
Pratima Rajbanshi, Kathmandu Model Hospital School of Nursing, Nepal

57.

Mapping the Landscape of Academic Freedom in Nepal through Focus on the Research and Publication Ecosystem
Pratyoush Onta, Martin Chautari and Pranab Kharel, Martin Chautari, Nepal

58.

Echoes of Collective Memory and Trauma: An Intergenerational Perspective
Rajendra Sharma, Researcher, Social Science Baha, Nepal

59.

Status of Madheshi Women in Nepal
Ranju Yadav, PhD Candidate, Department of Gender Studies, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

60.

Bhaktapur’s Local Curriculum: Implementation and Challenges
Rasmi Khagi, Institute of Advanced Communication, Education, and Research (IACER), Pokhara University, Nepal

61.

Making Migration Visible: Practices of Data Collection and Standardisation in Nepal
Ria Gyawali, PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, USA

62.

What Does It Mean to Be Newar Women in Contemporary Kathmandu? A Narrative Study on Exploring Young Newar Women’s Social Identity
Roji Maharjan, Project Green Circle/Visiting Faculty, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Shripa Pradhan, Masters in Counseling Psychology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; and Mahika Shrestha, Project Green Circle, Nepal

63.

Community Engagement in Post-earthquake Recovery: Heritage Reconstruction in Bungamati
Roshan Sapkota, Department of Conflict, Peace and Development Studies, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

64.

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

65.

Do FinTech, Financial Inclusion, and Institutional Quality Reduce Income Inequality? Panel Evidence from Asian Countries
Sagar Bishwakarma, Central Department of Economics, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Pramshu Nepal, Associate Professor, Central Department of Economics, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; and Smeet Bista, Central Department of Economics, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

66.

Heritage Diplomacy: Let’s Bring Back the Gods
Sahayog Ranjit, Senior Reporter, Bizmandu.com, Nepal

67.

Crime Victims’ Right to Compensation through Victim Relief Fund in Nepal
Samana Kafle, Kaski District Court, Nepal

68.

Exploring Social Network in Ranibari Community Forest: The Role of Public Space in Kathmandu’s Urban Life
Samikshya Bhattarai, Independent Researcher, Nepal

69.

‘Dr. Miss Jamini Sen’ in Nepal: Revisiting a Medical Relation between Nepal and Bengal
Sanchayita Paul Chakraborty, Assistant Professor, Dr. Meghnad Saha College, West Bengal, India

70.

Uncovering Newer Destinations for South Asia: A Case of Work Migration from Nepal to Portugal
Sanjit Shrestha, Independent Researcher; Samiksha Neupane, Independent Researcher; and Prajesh Aryal, Independent Researcher, Nepal

71.

“A Miracle Awaits, Let’s Break the Chain, End Chhaupadi, Erase the Pain”: Integrating Human-centered Design, Arts-based Research, and Intervention Mapping to Co-design a Chhaupadi Intervention in Nepal
Sara E. Baumann, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Sudha Ghimire, Development Resource Center, Nepal; Nikita Sharma; Puja Gartaula, Department of Psychology, Padmakanya Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Hannah Schwarz, Doctoral Student, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Sanjana Murthy, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Mary Hawk, Professor, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Elizabeth Miller, Professor, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Ada O. Youk, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh, USA; and Bhimsen Devkota, Professor, Faculty of Education, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

72.

Ageing in Nepal: Family, Community and Emerging Support
Sarah Speck, Lecturer/Researcher, University of Applied Sciences, OST, Switzerland

73.

Military, Migration, and Movement: The Rise and Growth of the Gurkha Identity and Its Socio-political Assertion in British India (c. 1815–1947)
Shivam Pandey, PhD Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, India

74.

Digital Technology for Place-based Climate and Disaster Response: An Examination of Civic Tech Projects in Nepal
Shreyasha Paudel, PhD Candidate, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Canada

75.

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

76.

An Ethnographic Study of the Wambule Rai’s Knowledge and Experiences of Climate Change in Eastern Nepal
Shubha Karna Rai, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

77.

AI and Dalit Journalists in Nepal: A Question of Digital Access or Structural Exclusion?
Shusma Barali, Freelancer Journalist, Nepal

78.

Under the Nehruvian Shadow: India in Nepal during the 1950s
Sidhant Kumar, PhD Scholar, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

79.

Community Based Adaptation Strategies for Climate Resilience in Nepal's Rural Areas
Som Nath Dahal, Researcher, Nepal

80.

From Fragmentation to Frameworks: The Evolution of Curriculum and Educational Policy in Nepal
Subodh Chandra Bharti, Research Associate, Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), India

81.

Construction of Indigenous Women English Teachers’ Identity through Digital Literacy
Sudha Mainali, Teacher/Researcher, Nepal

82.

Enhancing the Participation of Informal Workers in Contribution-based Social Security in Nepal: The Affordability Challenge
Sudhir Shrestha, Knowledge Management Officer, South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication, Nepal and Ishwor Adhikari, Independent Researcher, Nepal 

83.

Lords of the Land: Dispossession, Indigeneity and Resistance in Nepal’s Dang District
Sujan Dangal, PhD Candidate in Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore

84.

Marginalized Yet Resilient: Exploring the Paradox of Sex Workers’ Status in Nepal
Sujeet Karn, Visiting Faculty, Tribhuvan University, Nepal and Martin Chautari, Nepal

85.

“Deuta Bhanda Ghar Pyaro”: The 2015 Earthquake’s Memory after a Decade in Jyamiremane Village, Sindhupalchok
Sujindra Rai, Lecturer, Tri-chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

86.

Who Cares? Maternal Health and Politics of Care
Sunisha Neupane, PhD Candidate, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK

87.

Gender, Body, and Fitness: Exploring Gym Experiences in Gyms of Lalitpur, Nepal
Suruchi Shahi, Independent Researcher, Nepal

88.

When the Earth Shakes, Do Minds Shift? Evidence on Time Preference from the Gorkha Earthquake
Sushant Rijal, Kathmandu University School of Arts, Nepal

89.

Monastic Transformation and Spiritual Tourism: A Case Study of the Lumbini Monastic Zone
Sushma Acharya, PhD Scholar, Lumbini Buddhist University, Nepal

90.

Menstrual Taboos and Gender Inequality: A Comparative Socio-cultural Study of Nepal and India
Sutapa Ghosh, Dr. Meghnad Saha College, West Bengal, India

91.

Indian Diplomatic Reportage on Nepal in the 1960s
Swati Chawla, Associate Professor, O.P. Jindal Global University, India

92.

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

93.

नेपालमा नागरिकता सम्बन्धी कानुनी प्रावधान र कार्यान्वयनमा देखिने चुनौतीहरू
तुलानारायण साह, कार्यकारी निर्देशक, नेपाल मधेश फाउण्डेशन, नेपाल

94.

Sustainability Crisis of Community Radios in Bagmati Province
Umesh Pokharel, Asia Researcher-Consultant, DW Akademie, Germany

95.

From Birthplace to Mahaparinirvana: Interlinking Lumbini and Kushinagar through India’s Buddhist Circuit Initiative
Upendra Kumar, PhD Student, Maliviya Centre for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University, India

96.

Urban Waste Management in Eastern Nepal: Infrastructure Bottlenecks and the Road Ahead
V. Kalyan Shankar, Associate Professor, Symbiosis School of Economics, Pune, India; and Amrita Dahal Bhattarai, Damak Technical College, Jhapa, Nepal

97.

The Life History of “Objects” in Transnational Flows: Wooden Bowls and Their Cultural Implications in the Sino-Nepal
Wu Di, School of Ethnology and Sociology, Yunnan University, China

Panel I: Nature-culture Relationship in the Himalaya

98.

Paper I: Storying the Himalaya: Jaar in Focus
Priyanka Chatterjee, Assistant Professor, Centre for Distance and Online Education, University of North Bengal, India

99.

Paper II: Nature, Culture and Rights in the Eastern Himalaya: A Case Study of Mukkumlung Sacred Landscape
Debraj Chhetri, UGC Junior Research Fellow, Centre for Himalayan Studies, University of North Bengal, India

100.

Paper III: Environmentalism at Dhankuta: A Case Study of Kirati Khuwalung as a Sacred/Protest Site
Nikita Biswakarma, UGC Junior Research Fellow, Centre for Himalayan Studies, University of North Bengal, India

101.

Paper IV: Nature-culture Relationship and Highland Development Debate in Nepal: An Overview
Swatahsiddha Sarkar, Professor, Centre for Himalayan Studies, University of North Bengal, India

Panel II: From Ancestral Roots to Modern Resistance: The Fight for Mukkumlung

102.

Paper I: मुन्धुम, मुन्धुमी भूमि र मुक्कुमलुङ संरक्षणको अवधारणा
अमर तुम्याहाङ, उपप्राध्यापक, सानोठिमी क्याम्पस,  नेपाल

103.

Paper II: “मुक्कुमलुङ हाम्रो चोत्लुङ हो ”: आदिवासी भूमि संरक्षणको संघर्ष र “नो केबलकार” आन्दोलन
कैलाश राई, कार्यकारी निर्देशक, इन्डिजिनियस विदाउट बोर्डर्स् र मार्टिन चौतारी, , नेपाल

104.

Paper III: “Our Issues Are Not Covered”: Indigenous (Mukkumlung) Resistance and Media Discourse
Sita Mademba, Researcher, Indigenous without Borders, Nepal

Panel III: नेपालमा विद्यालय शिक्षाको इतिहास – १

105.

गुरुङ गाउँमा शिक्षा विस्तार : स्याङ्जामा भाषा पाठशाला र पोस्टवार रिकन्सट्रक्शन फण्ड (वि.सं. १९७३–२०२३)
रुख गुरुङ, मार्टिन चौतारी, नेपाल

106.

शिक्षा, राजनीति र पोखराको पहिलो आधुनिक स्कूल
लोकरञ्जन पराजुली, मार्टिन चौतारी, नेपाल

107.

मातृभाषामा शिक्षाका प्रणेता जगत सुन्दर मल्ल र उनको शैक्षिक योगदान
देवराज हुमागाईं, मार्टिन चौतारी, नेपाल

Panel IV: नेपालमा विद्यालय शिक्षाको इतिहास – २

108.

कन्या मन्दिर स्कूल : राणाकालीन नेपालमा छोरीलाई शिक्षा, पितृसत्तात्मक समाज र समानताको लागि संघर्ष
सन्जिला मोक्तान, मार्टिन चौतारी, नेपाल

109.

स्कूल सञ्चालन गरेको आरोपमा जन्मकैद : महावीर इन्ष्टिच्यूटको स्थापना र विघटनको पृष्ठभूमि (वि. सं. १९९२–१९९७)
देवेन्द्र उप्रेती, मार्टिन चौतारी, नेपाल

110.

Education for Women: Chandrakanta’s Life and Kanya Pathshala
Birsana Shrestha, Martin Chautari, Nepal