Madheshi Uprising- The Resurgence of Ethnicity

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About the Book The Madheshi community launched in 2007 the largest ever ethnic uprising in Nepal that shook the Nepali state to its very core. The event resulted in significant loss of life, injuries, damage of properties and disruption of ethnic harmony The uprising was an outcome of a deep-rooted problem with strong historical underpinnings that can be traced as far back as the era when Nepal was built as a state. It has persisted up to the present and may continue to persist and threaten the national security and territorial integrity of Nepal unless appropriate actions are taken to address the problem.

This book analyzes the 2007 Madheshi uprising, the identity based antagonisms that fueled it, complex motivations of the participants of the uprising, the insensitivity and the political miscalculations of the Nepalese state and intelligentsia. It offers a multifaceted examination of Nepal's Tarai region's complex social diversity, political history, and process of alienation of Madheshis from the rest of Nepal.

About the Author Kalyan Bhakta Mathema, who attended school in Nepal, India and Japan and earned his Master from Tribhuvan University, teaches in a graduate program in Sociology at Trichandra campus, Kathmandu. He is also associated with Goreto Nepal which aims to promote critical thinking in education in Nepal.

Introduction The Madheshi Uprising which occurred in January 2007 shook the fragile Nepali state in the aftermath of the overthrow of monarchy and the restoration of democracy. This biggest ethnic uprising in Nepal's modern history took place in the Tarai region where almost 50 percent of Nepalese live and where over 60 percent of agricultural land is located, contributing almost two-thirds of Nepal's GDP. All major transit routes of the import-dependent Nepal are located here. The presence of millions of Madheshis living in this economically and politically important region led to a perception that they were the only community that had the potential to pose a threat to the national integrity and unity of Nepal.

This uprising consisted of hundreds of spontaneous protests by people from all segments of the Madheshi community: young and old, female and male, professional and non-professional, religious and secular, Hindu and Muslim, Brahmin and Dalit, Yadav and non-Yadav. Notwithstanding the mostly peaceful nature of the protests, sporadic but gruesome ethnic violence broke out in some places. Extremist groups from different ideological backgrounds, who saw this movement as an opportunity to use it for their advantage, infiltrated the rallies to incite protesters to be violent, although violence itself was not the main feature of this uprising. The government employed security forces to try to control the situation and quell the movement but they proved ineffective.

**Contents and Sample Pages**