Arjun Guneratne
Office Hours: MF 1:00-3:00
Carnegie 004H (x6362)

Himalayan Anthropology

Anthropology 55

MWF 10:30-11:30

This course is an introduction to the anthropology of complex societies through a study of the ethnography of the Himalayan region. The course has three aims: To understand how the anthropology of the region developed; to examine the research topics that have interested anthropologists of the Himalaya over the years through a reading of selected ethnographies; and to develop an approach to understanding the anthropology of a complex, multi-ethnic society, that of Nepal.

Texts
James Fisher, Sherpas: Reflections on Change in Himalayan Nepal
David Holmberg, Order in Paradox
John Hitchcock, A Mountain Village in Nepal
Rex Jones and Shirley K. Jones, The Himalayan Woman
Sherry Ortner, Sherpas through their rituals
William Sax, Mountain Goddess: Gender and Politics in a Himalayan Pilgrimage
Ramachandra Guha, The Unquiet Woods.

Texts are available in The Hungry Mind Bookstore

Requirements

The course is based on both lectures and discussion of the materials assigned. Lectures will generally be on Mondays; there may be additional lectures on Wednesdays. Productive discussions require that everyone keeps up with the reading; regular attendance in class and timely completion of the readings are required.

The final grade will be based on a take-home mid-term (30%), class presentations and participation (10%), two book reviews (20%) and a final 15 page paper due on December 18 (40%). Every student is expected to make a presentation on the assigned reading. Students should come to class prepared to make a 15 minute presentation on the ethnographies and other key readings; I shall not give advance notice of who is to make the presentation on any particular day.

All assignments that are handed in late will suffer a grade penalty. No incompletes will be given except for exceptional or unavoidable circumstances, which must be attested to by a letter from either the Dean of Students or the Dean of Academic Programs. Please note that unexcused absences from class during the course of the semester will result in a grade penalty.

Readings are on reserve in the Library and in the Department of Anthropology.

PART I

Week 1 THE PHYSICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND
September 11-15

Readings
Stiller, Rise of the House of Gorkha, pp. 3-32
Berreman, "Himalayan Research: What, Whither, and Whether."
Bista, People of Nepal (skim)
Hagen, Nepal
Karan, Nepal: A Cultural and Physical Geography


Week 2 THE BEGINNINGS OF
September 18-22 HIMALAYAN ANTHROPOLOGY

Readings
Fisher, "The Historical Development of Himalayan Anthropology"
Hamilton, An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal. (browse)

Friday 29th
Knowles, "The Gospel in Gonda"
Nesfield, "The Tharus and Bogshas of Upper India."


Week 3 VILLAGE STUDIES
September 25-29

Readings
Hitchcock, A Mountain Village in Nepal


Week 4 SYMBOLIC ANTHROPOLOGY
October 2-6

Readings
Ortner, Sherpas through their rituals.


Week 5 CASTE AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE
October 9-13

Readings
Berreman, "Cultural variability and drift in the Himalayan Hills."
Berreman, Hindus of the Himalayas, Chapters 6 & 7.
Furer-Haimendorf, "Caste in the Multi-ethnic Society of Nepal"
Hitchcock, "An additional perspective on the Nepali caste system."


Week 6 RELIGION AND GENDER
October 16-20

Wednesday, October 18
TAKE-HOME MID-TERM HANDED OUT
Friday, October 20 NO CLASS

Readings
Sax, Mountain Goddess: Gender and Politics in a Himalayan Pilgrimage.


Week 7 THE HIMALAYAN WOMAN:
October 23-27

Monday, October 23:
TAKE-HOME MID-TERM DUE
Friday, October 26 FALL BREAK

Readings
Jones and Jones, The Himalayan Woman



Week 8 RELIGION AND RITUAL
October 30-November 3

Readings
Holmberg, Order in Paradox



Week 9 PEASANT SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
November 6-10

Readings
Guha, The Unquiet Woods



Week 10 DEVELOPMENT AND MODERNIZATION:
November 13-17 THE SHERPAS

Readings
Fisher, Sherpas: Reflections on Change in Himalayan Nepal

November 15 & 17: No Class

PART II

THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF A COMPLEX SOCIETY

Week 11 ETHNIC IDENTITY
November 20-24

Readings
Eriksen, Ethnicity and Nationalism, Chs. 1,3, & 7

THE STATE AND SOCIETY

Readings
Monday, 27th
English, "Himalayan State Formation and the Impact of British Rule in the Nineteenth Century."
Des Chene, "Soldiers, Sovereignty and Silences: Gorkhas as Diplomatic Currency."

Wednesday, November 29th
Burghart, "The Formation of the Concept of Nation-State in Nepal."

Friday, December 1st
Sharma, "Caste, Social Mobility and Sanskritization: a study of Nepal's Old Legal Code."

Monday, December 4th
Levine, "Caste, State and Ethnic Boundaries in Nepal."
Holmberg, Order in Paradox, Chapter 2 (Review).
Fisher, "Homo hierarchicus Nepalensis: A Cultural Subspecies."
Guneratne, "Modernization, the state, and the construction of a Tharu identity."

LANGUAGE, IDENTITY AND POLITICS

Wednesday, December 6
Hutt, "Nepali: A National Language and its Literature." pp. 22-70
Bista, "The Process of Nepalization."

Friday, December 8
Bandhu, "The role of the Nepali language in establishing the national unity and identity of Nepal."
Gaige, "The Politics of Language."
Sonntag, "Ethnolinguistic Politics and Language Policy in Nepal."


LAND COLONIZATION
& "NATIONAL INTEGRATION"

Monday, December 11
Caplan, "Some Political Consequences of State Land Policy in East Nepal."
Caplan, "From Tribe to Peasant? The Limbus and the Nepalese State."

Wednesday, December 13
Gaige, "The Problem of National Integration."
Pashupati Shumshere J.B.R., "Towards an Integrated Policy of National Integration."

December 15
Film