Paradise Lost?: State Failure in Nepal - Hardcover

Riaz, Ali; Basu, Subho

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 8183630758 ISBN 13: 9788183630757

Publisher: Adarsh Books, 2010

Synopsis

Paradise Lost? examines the state-society relationships in Nepal and demonstrates that the nature of the state, disjuncture between the state and the society, and the rupture of the ideological hegemony of the ruling class of Nepal have created a situation where existing institutional frameworks are disintegrating and the state is unraveling rapidly.

About this title

Review

A useful resource not only for scholars in the fields of South Asian studies and/or Himalayan studies but should also, equally, be of interest to political theorists.--2008 "Indian Sociology "

While Nepal is the oldest nation-state in South Asia, 'nation-building' is very much a work-in-progress. In the modern era which began in Nepal with the demise of the Rana shogunate in 1950, the country remained under an autocratic kingship till 1990. A 12-year democratic interlude was marked by a violent Maoist insurgency and followed by yet another royal adventure, which was finally crushed by the People's Movement of April 2006. The task of 'nation-building' has now resumed, with the goal of restructuring the state through a constituent assembly and a new constitution. Any place is complex, but Nepal is perhaps less understood than others in the South Asian neighbourhood. I believe that this work by Ali Riaz and Subho Basu will help in the understanding of a country that has seen the compressed political evolution over a few years that other countries of South Asia realised over decades. Only the analysis of Nepal as a thus-far failed state can make it a successful one.--Kanak Mani Dixit, editor, Himal Khabarpatrika and Himal Southasian

One of the longstanding frustrations of being a 'Nepal scholar' is that one's peers comprise almost entirely of other 'Nepal scholars', and that those who might be capable of bringing broader comparative or theoretical perspectives to bear on Nepali political topics, have remained clustered around issues further south in the subcontinent. It has also seemed to us that recent developments in Nepal, where the world's last Hindu monarchy and the world's latest and most successful Maoist insurgency have faced one another across a society that cries out for a participative and egalitarian democracy, should be of interest to more than just us. So it is very good indeed that these two researchers have turned their attention northward and allowed us all to benefit from their clear-eyed and perceptive assessment of the current state of Nepal and of the challenges that now faces that country's leaders and people.--Michael Hutt, University of London

An outstanding achievement in explaining current political developments in Nepal whilst placing them insightfully and concisely within a historical context. A timely book which will be an invaluable resource for those keen to learn about the origins of Nepal's present-day dilemmas and the prospects for her future.--Crispin Bates, University of Edinburgh

About the Author

Ali Riaz is professor and chair of the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University. Subho Basu is associate professor in the Department of History at Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University.

Edition details

• Publisher: Adarsh Books
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 8183630758
• ISBN 13: 9788183630757
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 220