I wish I was in town to be able to attend this event--it sounds very interesting. Fulbright presentations are a good opportunity to learn about topics related to Nepal being conducted by Fulbright fellows. I was able to attend one when I was in Kathmandu this past summer presented by Ms. Kerry Brown--I must confess, I learned a lot about Newari Buddhism and the significance behind the various statues and temples around Kathmandu valley.
Below you will find the info sent to me by the Fulbright Forum about the upcoming presentation. The event is free and open to public, however, make sure to bring a photo identification with you.
Please comment on this post and tell us more about the presentation and your experience if you attend the event. Thank you.
Speaker - Ms. Anne Mocko, Fulbright Alumnus
Date - Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Time - 5:30 p.m.
Following the 2006 Janandolan, the Interim Government undertook a
program to dismantle Nepal's monarchy and transition the country from a
Hindu kingdom to a secular republic. This process was complex and plural,
and touched on issues ranging from the leadership of the army to the design
of banknotes. One of the most complex and contentious issues, however,
was the government's move to appropriate the king's ritual roles: the
performative, traditional, religious practices that had marked the king out
as a unique social actor.
One of the most interesting set of debates surrounded the Interim
Government's challenges to the king's celebration of Dasai, a debate which
required the state to untangle which of the rituals were the king's private
family traditions and which were national occasions. The debates over Dasai
during the Interim Period -- and the continuation of formerly-royal
practices during the post-Interim Period -- thus challenged the Interim Government's policy of ritual appropriation and replacement, and in the continuing context raise questions about the possibilities of retaining traditional practices in a context of institutional change.
Anne Mocko is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. She has been
researching and writing her dissertation, "Demoting Vishnu: Ritual, Politics, and the Unmaking of Nepal's Monarchy," since 2007. She was a Fulbright- Hays research fellow in Nepal for 2009-2010, and is back in Nepal for a brief follow-up research trip.
program to dismantle Nepal's monarchy and transition the country from a
Hindu kingdom to a secular republic. This process was complex and plural,
and touched on issues ranging from the leadership of the army to the design
of banknotes. One of the most complex and contentious issues, however,
was the government's move to appropriate the king's ritual roles: the
performative, traditional, religious practices that had marked the king out
as a unique social actor.
One of the most interesting set of debates surrounded the Interim
Government's challenges to the king's celebration of Dasai, a debate which
required the state to untangle which of the rituals were the king's private
family traditions and which were national occasions. The debates over Dasai
during the Interim Period -- and the continuation of formerly-royal
practices during the post-Interim Period -- thus challenged the Interim Government's policy of ritual appropriation and replacement, and in the continuing context raise questions about the possibilities of retaining traditional practices in a context of institutional change.
Anne Mocko is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. She has been
researching and writing her dissertation, "Demoting Vishnu: Ritual, Politics, and the Unmaking of Nepal's Monarchy," since 2007. She was a Fulbright- Hays research fellow in Nepal for 2009-2010, and is back in Nepal for a brief follow-up research trip.
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