New Book Publication
We are happy to announce the recent book publication by Axel Michaels - "Nepal: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present".
This book is a cultural history, which means that it encompasses different histories and temporalities. It provides an overview of major themes, areas, and periods in the history of Nepal. It attempts to convey the country’s complexity and diversity; the histories of its regions; the different political currents and forms of political organization, the fluid and multiple identities, the cross-border, transcultural, transreligious, and economic entanglements; and the mobile ways of life, many taking place in marginal zones, transit regions, and enclaves.
It deals with the different population groups and the resulting challenges such as migration, social hierarchies, caste, and the position of women. Another focus is on religions: Buddhism with its tantric Vajrayana, the strongly syncretic Hinduism, and the numerous folk religions. The political history is dealt with in a span from prehistoric times to the elections in 2022. In addition, the focus is on neglected topics that have so far hardly been dealt with in other histories, such as relations with India and China, land and administrative structures, the labor situation and slavery, democratization, and the Maoist movement as well as the lesser-known history of selected ethnic groups such as the Sherpa, Mustangi, or Rai-Limbu in eastern Nepal.
A common thread running through the book is the question of how the country’s major challenges in terms of social conflicts, nationalization, infrastructure, education, migration, or divided forms of rule and political instability can be addressed without sacrificing the impressive ethnic and cultural diversity.
Source:
Michaels, Axel: Nepal: a history from the earliest times to the present. New York : Oxford University Press, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197650936.001.0001