Resisting the State in East Nepal: The 'Chintang Incident' of 1979 and the Politics of Commemoration

Martin Gaenszle, Ichchha Purna Rai, Judith Pettigrew, Manoj Rai, Balthasar Bickel, Goma Banjade, Toya Nath Bhatta, Elena Lieven, Netra Prasad Paudyal, Sabine Stoll

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter deals with the history of the so-called 'Chintang incident', an uprising led by local farmers against Nepal's monarchic state in 1979, during which 15 people were killed. Relying on oral testimonies and local writings it reconstructs the background and events which led to the political conflicts and their escalation. As the Chintang people, members of the Kiranti ethnic community still remember their ancestors' fight against the conquering Shah army more than 200 ago: the relationship with the government in Kathmandu has been tense from the beginning. The memories of the bloody showdown with the panchayat state in Autumn1979 thus have to be read within a larger framework of a hegemonic Hindu kingship, communist resistance, minority politics, and ethnic revivalism in the context of increasing democratization.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRevolution in Nepal
Subtitle of host publicationAn Anthropological and Historical Approach to the People's War
PublisherOxford University Press
ISBN (Electronic)9780199082483
ISBN (Print)0198089384, 9780198089384
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Sep 2013

Keywords

  • Communist movement
  • Insurgency
  • Nepal
  • Oral history
  • Social memory
  • State violence

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