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Smith College

Publication Date

Spring 2018

Program Name

Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples

Abstract

In the Rasuwa district of Nepal, an area affected profoundly by the 2015 earthquake, development and infrastructure have been fast growing both since the natural disaster and the opening of Rasuwa Gadhi as the more formal trade route to and from China. For those in the district, a race has commenced building as much as possible in anticipation of an influx of tourism and business opportunities from both the border and new trekking in the area, though at varying expectations for both. With all this change on the rise, a big question is how are local efforts – like local schools and local radio stations – informing people of this change and how to manage it, if at all, and how are they responding to it? For the villages of Thuman, Nagathali, and Brenthang, how can efforts by both outside forces and locals themselves bring opportunity for awareness and education now that their socio-economic status is changing and more opportunities present themselves. Also, even when they have changed, how are they handling it in the face of an intergenerational lack of education, with fading tradition and out-migration in the present day? The rate of development in the district, while happening at a speed which delights many, could prove too fast in building a unified community. Through a series of interviews with locals from these three villages, the radio outlets of the region as well as media outlets in Kathmandu, a picture of education and awareness in Rasuwa is presented, drawing from factors pertaining to Nepal in its entirety.

Disciplines

Asian Studies | Educational Sociology | Family, Life Course, and Society | Place and Environment | Tourism | Work, Economy and Organizations

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