Selected Abstracts and Panels for the Chautari Annual Conference - 2026

S.N.

Paper/Panel Title and Authors

1.

The Unpaid Carbon Sink: Bajrabarahi Temple and the Neoliberal Erasure of Indigenous Climate Governance - An Ethnoarchaeological and Dendrochronological Investigation

Aayushman KC, MA Student in Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Patan Multiple Campus, Lalitpur, Nepal

2.

Gendered Water Governance Discourse in the Global South: A Case Study of Nepal

Ammu S Anil, Senior Research Fellow/PhD Scholar, MMAJ Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

3.

Education as Social Assistance: Comparing Nepal’s Welfare Transfer Programmes and the Azim Premji Foundation’s Approach to Educational Equity

Ankita Bharadwaj, Resident Mentor, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, India

4.

The Dynamics of Women’s Transitions from Singlehood to Married Life

Archana Oli, Advance Residency Student, The Open Institute for Social Science, Lalitpur, Nepal

5.

The Debate on Pun Ethnic Identity

Arjun Kumar Purja Pun, Kathmandu University School of Education, Nepal

6.

Gender Perspective on Cross Border Migration Governance: A Case Study of India-Nepal Migration

Arpita Giri Singh, Post Doc Fellow, Delhi University, Nepal

7.

Labour of Uncertainty: Indigenous Struggles Against a State-led Hydropower Project in Nepal

Aruna Limbu, Independent Researcher, Nepal

8.

From Aspiration to Reality: Negotiating Career Expectations Among Nepali Educational Migrants in Australia

Ashmita Rijal, Lecturer - Community Services, Acknowledge Education, Sydney, Australia

9.

Socio-economic Dynamics of Secondary Markets in Nepal Tarai with Special Reference to Shanischare Bazaar, Jhapa

Asish Timsina, Assistant Relationship Manager, NMB Bank; and Deepak Das Haluwai, ECA Coordinator, Birtamod

10.

Moving Through Regimes: A Multigenerational Family History of Migration, Memory, and Political Change among the Newars of Bandipur

Avash Piya, Independent Researcher, Nepal

11.

The Power and Perils of Social Media: How Nepali Women Professionals Navigate a Double-edged Sword?

Avinashi Paudel, Communications and External Relations Associate, World Bank Group

12.

Same Cage, Different Bars: Discipline Across Three Nepali Schools

Bandana Adhikary, PhD Scholar in Anthropology, Brunel University, UK

13.

Asymmetric Sovereignty, Open Borders, and Ambiguous Citizenship: Revisiting the 1950 India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship in the Context of Sino-American Rivalry and Nepali Linguistic Minority Struggles in India

Barun Roy, Assistant Professor, Department of Mass Communication, University of North Bengal, India

14.

Building the Pathway to Success: An Interpretive Inquiry on Women’s Entrepreneurial Journey

Basanta Subba, MPhil in Development Studies, Kathmandu University School of Education, Nepal

15.

Mahabharata and Razmnama: Exploring the Ideology of War

Bhim Nath Regmi, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

16.

Ḍeuḍā Folk Songs as a Milieu of Cultural Narratives: Exploration of Social Realities and Social Replicas

Bhupesh Joshi, Assistant Professor, Durgalaxmi Multiple Campus, Far Western University, Kailali, Nepal

17.

Son Preference and Gender Bias in Prenatal and Delivery Health Investments in Nepal

Bimala Thami, Research Scholar, South Asian University, New Delhi, India

18.

Tao (Crying): A Customary Tradition of Thakali Indigenous Community in Death Ceremony - Bridging with Beyond the World

Bipin Sherchan, PhD Researcher, Kathmandu University School of Education, Nepal

19.

Shifting Clay Pottery of Prajapatis in Madhyapur Thimi: Towards Indigenous Entrepreneurship

Biraj Shrestha, MPhil Graduate, Kathmandu University, Nepal

20.

Experiences of Caste-based Discrimination in Nepali Universities

Dev Raj Pariyar, Human Right Officer, National Human Rights Commission, Nepal; and Dechen Dolkar Piya, Undergraduate Student, University of Essex, UK

21.

राज्यको निगाह कि नागरिक हक : सामाजिक सुरक्षा कार्यक्रमका रूपमा जेष्ठ नागरिक भत्तासम्बन्धी बुझाइ र बहस

देवराज हुमागाईं, मार्टिन चौतारी

22.

सामुदायिक विद्यालय प्रभावकारिता र प्रधानाध्यापक कार्यसम्पादनस्तर

देवीराम आचार्य, काठमाडौँ विश्वविद्यालय स्कुल अफ एजुकेसन, नेपाल

23.

Gendered Narratives in Nepal’s Secondary-Level Comprehensive Sexuality Education Curriculum: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis

Dikshya Karki, MPhil-PhD Scholar, Central Department of Sociology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

24.

Livelihood Impact of Migrant Maoist Ex-combatants and Their Left Behinds in Nepal

Durga Neupane Bhattarai, PhD Scholar, Central Department of Rural Development, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

25.

Navigating Structural Barriers: Indigenous Peoples Struggles to Enter Civil Service in Nepal 

Ganesh Man Singh Rai, Government of Nepal

26.

Rhetoric of Inclusion, Reality of Exclusion: A Critical Historical Policy Analysis of Dalit Education in Nepal (1950–2025)

Ghamber Nepali, PhD Scholar, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

27.

Ethnographic Documentation of the Danuwar Indigenous Community in Udaypur District with a Focus on Gender Dynamics and Women’s Role

Heema Rai, Freelancer, National Indigenous Women’s Federation, Nepal

28.

Nepal and the Bangladesh Crisis of 1971: A Study of Regional Diplomacy

Indranil Chattopadhyay, Associate Professor in History, Brahmananda Keshab Chandra College, Kolkata, India; and Sukanya Sarkar Sasmal, Associate Professor in History, Sarojini Naidu College for Women, Kolkata, India

29.

Between Closure and Connectivity: Pandemic Experiences, Resistance and Resilience in Nepal’s North-eastern Borderland

Jag Bahadur Budha, PhD Student in Anthropology, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

30.

Porters from Nepal: Earning a Livelihood in Sikkim

Jashi M Gurung, Assistant Professor in Sociology, Department of Sociology, Shri Ramasamy Memorial University, Sikkim

31.

Beyond Awareness: Governance, Structural Poverty and Nutritional Challenges Among Musahars in Siraha, Nepal

Jhabindra Bhandari, MPhil-PhD Scholar, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Yojan Basnet, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Kabita Chaudhary, Padma Kanya Campus, Kathmandu, Nepal; and Carine Magen-Fabregat, ACF France

32.

Relatedness After Neo-liberalism: Economy, Digital Performance, and the New Moral Calculus of Kinship in Urban Nepal

Krishna Kala Bhusal, MA Student in Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Patan Multiple Campus, Lalitpur, Nepal

33.

E-Governance and Inclusion in Federal Nepal: Access and Disparities in Bagmati and Madhesh Provinces

Krishna Kumar Sah, Senior Program Coordinator, Federalism and Localization Center, Nepal

34.

Recalibrating India-Nepal Relations in an Era of China’s Expanding Influence

Kshitiz Shekhar, Research Scholar, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, India

35.

Communal Land, Collective Infrastructure, and the Fragility of Alternative Property Regimes: Comparative Lessons for Nepal and Indonesia

Lauren Kulhanjian Conrow, MSc Sustainable Urban Development, University of Oxford, UK

36.

Assessing Households’ Difficulty on Water-fetching and Latrine Use: A Case from Karnali Province, Nepal

Laxmi Chandra Mahat, PhD Scholar, Central Department of Population Studies, Tribhuvan University,  Nepal

37.

IMMI-GRINDORE: Subaltern Mobility and Sonic Accounts of Migration in Nepal

Leena Sharma, Independent Researcher, India

38.

Knowledge and Utilization of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist Among Health Care Professionals in Bir Hospital

Manisha Gharti, Nepal

39.

Visualizing Europe from Kathmandu: Migration Aspirations, Brokers, and the Governance of the Nepal-Europe Corridor

Manju von Rospatt, Research Fellow, Nepal Economic Forum, Nepal

40.

Nepal in the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy in the Face of Challenges from Russia and China

Marcin Skladanowski, Professor, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland

41.

Unequal Resilience: An Intersectional Analysis of Climate Change Adaptation and Household Livelihoods in Mountain Communities of Sindhupalchok, Nepal

Melina Shrestha, Independent Researcher, Nepal

42.

From Demand to Disillusionment: Federalism and the Unfinished Business of State Restructuring in Nepal

Mohd Ayub, Researcher, Federalism and Localization Center, Nepal

43.

Chess Participation, Academic Achievement, and Gender Dynamics among School Students of Kathmandu

Monalisha Khamboo, Board Member, National Sports Council, Nepal

44.

Husband’s Alcohol Drinking Behavior and Sexual Violence During Pregnancy in Nepalese Women of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Narayan Bhatta, Director, N.R. Bhatta and Associates, Nepal; and Rodhana Pokhrel

45.

Platform as Polity: Discord, Democratic Legitimacy, and the Institutional Turn of Protest in Nepal

Nasala Maharjan, Climate and Sustainability Consultant, UNDP Global Centre, Singapore; and Sakshee Singh, Policy Fellow, Council for Countering Online Disinformation, UK

46.

Social Reproduction of Fear and Violence against Women’s Autonomy in Everyday Kathmandu

Nikita Tripathi, Multimedia Journalist and Researcher, Nepal

47.

Rebuilding Through Memory: Heritage as a Driver of Post-Disaster Reconstruction in Morocco and Nepal

Nour Eddine Nachouane, Associate Professor, Institut des Études Africaines, Euro-Méditerranéennes et Ibero-Américaines, Université Mohammed V de Rabat, Morocco

48.

Strengthening Digital Safety for Nepali Women: Addressing Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence in the age of AI

Padma G.C., Computer Engineer, Tribhuwan University, Nepal

49.

Accumulation by Eradication: Malaria, DDT and Dispossession of the Nepal- India Terai Corridor, 1945–1975

Piali Roy, Assistant Professor in Sociology, Dr. Meghnad Saha College, West Bengal, India

50.

Decoding Social Meanings in Literary Texts:  Sociological Reading of A White Life

Pramila Poudel Subedee, PhD Student in Sociology, South Asian University, New Delhi, India

51.

The Interactional-Hierarchical Dynamics of Motherhood: A Generational Perspective

Prapanna Maskey, Lecturer in Sociology, Patan Multiple Campus, Lalitpur, Nepal

52.

Remaking Life at the Fringes: Marginal Spaces and Collective Agency of Rohingya in Nepal

Prawesh Rai, Assistant Professor, Tribhuvan University, Nepal       

53.

The Interrelationship of Material Resources Allocation with Stylistic Execution: A Contextualized Study of Mithila Art Based in Nepal, With Special Emphasis to Bharni and Godna Form

Rachana Yadav, Bachelor Student in Fifth Year, Kathmandu School of Law, Nepal

54.

Generational Change & Digital Space (?) Gen Z Activism and the September Uprising in Nepal

Rajendra Sharma, Researcher, Social Science Baha, Nepal

55.

Mundum: Oral Tradition, Ritual Practice, and Cultural Identity Among the Bantawa Rai

Raju Rai, Lecturer in Sociology, Patan Multiple Campus, Lalitpur, Nepal

56.

Learning About Trauma While Living with It: Experiences of Psychology Students with Histories of Abuse

Rajya Laxmi Gurung, MA in Clinical Psychology, Third Semester, Central Department of Psychology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

57.

How Language Shapes Perception: An Autoethnographic Study on Perception of Menstruation by Nepali and Nepalbhasa Speaker

Rakshya Khadgi, MA Student in Anthropology, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan Universiy, Nepal

58.

Language Disappearance and Revival: Rethinking Language Endangerment in Nepal’s Multilingual Context

Rasmi Khagi, Institute of Advanced Communication, Education, and Research (IACER), Pokhara University, Nepal

59.

Students’ Perception on Building Social Capital: A Comparative Empirical Study of Secondary Level Students in Nepal

Rebati Ram (Rafael) Poudel, Development and Partnership Manager, Teach For Nepal

60.

The Sherpa Worldview Amidst Climate Change

Rinzing Ongmu Sherpa, Assistant Professor in Sociology, Department of Humanities, Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok, Sikkim

61.

“Who Benefits from a Failed Project?” Uncovering the Making of New Jamindar Through a Sure-to-Fail Irrigation Project in a Small Village of Southern Tarai

Sabin Gyawali, Independent Researcher, Nepal and Yunesh Timalsena, Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

62.

The Lived Experiences of Tamang Women and Girls Resisting Hydropower Development in Bojheni, Kathmandu

Sabnam Lama, St. Xavier’s College, Kathmandu, Nepal

63.

The Impact of Livelihood Transition on Indigenous Governance: A Study of Rana Tharu in Bhimdatta Municipality of Nepal – A Sociological Analysis

Sahas Bhandari, Kathmandu University School of Education, Nepal

64.

AIL in Political Communication: How the Parliamentarians are Coping with Nepal’s Digital Transformation

Sahishnu Poudyal, Lecturer, Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus, Kathmandu, Nepal and Nirmala Mani Adhikary, Professor, Kathmandu University School of Arts, Nepal

65.

Making Collaboration Possible: Invisible Student Labor Sustaining Playful Learning

Sameer Prasai, Teaching and Research Fellow, The Open Institute for Social Science, Nepal

66.

Contested Ideals: Animism and Modernity at Kwā Bāhā – An Ethnographic Study of a Newar Buddhist Monastery

Samit Shakya, Heritage Educator/Heritage Walk Lead, Precious Arts/Tergar School

67.

Revisiting the Network of Affinities: Cultural Engagements and Social Transactions of Bengali Women in Nepal

Sanchayita Paul Chakraborty, Assistant Professor & HOD, Department of English, Dr. Meghnad Saha College, West Bengal, India

68.

An Explorative Study on How Swear Words Elicit Gender Inequality among

Nepalese Youths

Sanjeeta Chand, Student, Thames International College, Kathmandu, Nepal

69.

Income, Land, and Market Dependency: Food Crisis in Buddhashanti

Saru Rijal, Faculty, KnK International College, Kathmandu, Nepal

70.

Reclaiming the Haat: An Ethnographic Evaluation of the Quintuple Bottom Line, Food Miles, and Indigenous Matriarchal Economies in Nepal

Saurav Dhakal, Co-Founder & Curator, StoryCycle

71.

Institutionalized Exclusion: Structural Violence and Muslim Marginalization in Nepal

Shakti Banskar, Independent Researcher and Activist, Nepal

72.

Reform as Performance: The Political Economy of Curriculum Failure in Nepal, 1971–2026

Shalav SJB Rana, Independent Researcher, Nepal

73.

Capture Marriage (Chori Bibah) Among the Gurung of Nepal

Shanti Gurung, Lecturer in Anthropology, Tribhuwan University, Nepal

74.

Military, Migration, and Movement: The Rise and Growth of the Gurkha Identity and Its Socio-Political Assertion in British India (c. 1914–1947)

Shivam Pandey, Doctoral Candidate, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India

75.

The Burden of ‘Having It All’: Feminism and Female Labor in ‘Aama’ Nepali Movie

Shreeya Bhomjan Tamang, Central Department of Psychology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

76.

Nepal’s Transition to Democracy: India’s Role (2005-2006)

Sidhant Kumar, PhD Scholar, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

77.

TikTokification and Its Impact on Attention Span: Global Evidence and the Case of Nepal’s Youth

Simanta Adhikari, Westcliff University, USA; and Abhilasha Rayamajhi, Independent Researcher, Nepal

78.

From Incarceration to Reintegration: Prisoner’s Rights, International Standards, and the Rehabilitation Deficit in Nepal’s Criminal Justice System

Sonia Timalsina, Advocate, Nepal

79.

Nepal’s Survival Through Certain Uncertainty

Subodh Chandra Bharti, Research Associate, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi, India

80.

Going to Buhran: The Politics of Land Reform in Nepal

Sujan Dangal, PhD Scholar, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, National University of Singapore

81.

Whose Rani Sain? Commodity Frontiers, Territorial Contestation, and Social Conflict in Nepal’s Northern Borderlands

Sujeet Karn, Independent Researcher/Visiting Faculty Mid-West University, Nepal

82.

Tracing Female Characters in Ram Shekhar Nakarmi’s Fictions

Suji Hyongoju, Bhaktapur Multiple Campus, Nepal

83.

Teachers’ Perception of Autism in Nepal

Sujit Maharjan, MA Student; Moon Young Savana, Associate Professor; and John Ahorsu-Walker, PhD Scholar; University of Minnesota, USA

84.

Beneath the Surface of Gender Equality Campaigns: Evidence of Persistent Gender Bias

Sumikshya Khadka, Feminist Activist, Nepal and Niza Barun Shrestha, Psychology Student, Nepal

85.

Work-Life Balance and Gender Expectations Among Female Teaching Faculty: A Qualitative Study of Khwopa College

Sunita Gaishe, PhD Scholar, Central Department of Sociology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

86.

India’s Hindutva Impacts in Nepal

Sunita Lohani, Mphil Student, Institute of Advanced Communication, Education, and Research (IACER), Pokhara University, Nepal

87.

Ukhundi as a Customary Care System for Women in Kirat Rai Society and Its Displacement

Sunita Rai, Independent Researcher, Nepal

88.

Queer Outmigration and Community: Migration, Belonging and Movement-Building Among LGBTQIA+ Nepalis

Sushobhan Chimoriya, Queer Activist & Social Justice Educator, Nepal

89.

Prevalence, Policy, and Protection: A Comparative Study of Domestic Violence Status and Legal Frameworks in Nepal and India

Sutapa Ghosh, Dr. Meghnad Saha College, West Bengal, India

90.

Among Nations:  Investigating Nepal’s International Personality in the League of Nations Era

Suvanga Parajuli, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in Geneva

91.

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Female Community Health Volunteers-led Interventions on Prevention of Chronic Illnesses in Low and Middle-Income Countries: Nepal

Tika Rana, Postdoctoral Fellow, The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; and Sunil Shrestha, Department of Research and Academics, Kathmandu Cancer Center, Bhaktapur, Nepal

92.

A Comparative Study of Intersectional Experience of Sexual Harassment Intersect with Gender

Upama Bhandari, Lecturer, Koteshwor Multiple Campus, Kathmandu, Nepal

93.

A Comparative Study of Affirmative Action for Historically Disadvantaged Groups in Nepal and India: A Constitutional and Socio-Legal Analysis

Utpal Das, PhD Research Scholar in Law, University Institute of Legal Studies, Chandigarh University, India

94.

The Emergence and Development of Interreligious Councils in Nepal

Vedran Obucina, President, Centre for Interreligious Dialogue, Croatia

95.

The Women with No Ghar: Seeking Official Recognition for Un-registered Marital Relations in Contemporary Nepal

Xing LI, PhD candidate, Department of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Panel I: Shifting Aspirations, Struggles, and Experiences of Migration: Pathways from Nepal to Europe and Beyond

96.

Paper I: Mobility Struggles: Aspirational and Behavioral Pathways Amidst Involuntary Immobility

Lea Müller-Funk, Assistant Professor; Josef Neubauer, PhD Researcher; University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria; Naiara Rodríguez-Peña, University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria & University of Deusto, Spain; Sorana Toma, Ghent University, Belgium; and Mathias Czaika, University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria

97.

Paper II: Aspirations Amidst Hard Reality: Understanding How Nepali Student Migrants Negotiate Their Mobility and Career Aspirations in Austria

Sakar Sapkota, Research Officer, Centre for the Study of Labor and Mobility, Nepal and Arjun Kharel, Assistant Professor in Sociology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

98.

Paper III: Aspirational Drift Under Temporal Uncertainty: Stalled Mobilities, Fickle Futures, and the Long Wait for Documents Among Nepalis in Portugal

Josef Neubauer, PhD Researcher, University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria

Panel II: Essays on Rana-era Modernity

99.

Paper I: Mechanics of Modernity: Rajkrishna Karmakar and Socio-Mechanical Change in Late 19th Century Nepal

Projit Bihari Mukharji, Dean and Professor, TCG-CREST, Kolkata and Professor in History, Ashoka University, India

100.

Paper II: Himalayan Neoclassicism: Builder Knowledge, Material Constraint, and the Paradox of Architectural Modernity

Pushkar Sohoni, Professor, Humanities and Social Science, The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India

101.

Paper III: A Non-colonial Hindu Modernity in Rana-era Nepal

Gaurav C. Garg, Assistant Professor in History, Ashoka University, India

Panel III: Small State, Large Pressures: Nepal’s Strategic Recalibration Between Opportunity and Constraint

102.

Paper I: Maritime Connectivity and the Landlocked Paradox: Why Nepal’s Port Access Requires Regional Stability

Akriti Khajuria, Assistant Professor, Amity Institute of International Studies, Amity University, Noida, India

103.

Paper II: The Role of Hydropower in Redefining India-Nepal Relations

Malsawm Tluangi, Assistant Professor, Amity Institute of International Studies, Amity University, Noida, India

104.

Paper III: Narratives, Gen Z, and the Politic of Generational Revolt

Arushi Anthal, Research Assistant, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, India

105.

Paper IV: Connectivity without Autonomy: China’s Infrastructure Statecraft, Military-Civil Fusion, and the Limits of Nepal’s Strategic Recalibrations

Isha Singh, Doctoral Scholar, Amity Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Amity University, Noida, India

Panel IV: नेपालमा विद्यालय शिक्षाको इतिहास  

106.

Paper I: सरकारी जागिर खाने शिक्षा : चरम राणाकालमा फस्टाएको स्रेस्ता शिक्षा (सन् १९०५–१९५१)

देवेन्द्र उप्रेती, मार्टिन चौतारी     

107.

Paper II: The Early History of Shanti Nikunja School in Kathmandu

Pratyoush Onta, Martin Chautari

108.

Paper III: नेपालमा भाषा शिक्षाको राजनीति
लोकरञ्जन पराजुली, मार्टिन चौतारी

109.

Paper IV: लाहुरे परम्परामार्फत गुरुङमा शिक्षाको विस्तार : देहरादूनस्थित “थमन होस्टेल”को एक अध्ययन
रुख गुरुङ, मार्टिन चौतारी