This book of interviews with nineteen scholars shows how research on Nepal is produced in the United Kingdom (UK), which has been the centre of much social science writing on the country. In addition to descriptions of research themes, this book is also concerned in institutional environments that make Nepal Studies possible. It also provides a good picture of the academic engagements of this representative group of researchers with various Nepali communities.
The interviews provide insights into the shifts and continuities in research interests and the perspectives brought to bear on the themes of research from many disciplines. The merit of the book lies in the melding of personal narrative, institutional contexts and histories of disciplines, which takes readers back and forth between the UK and Nepal. Ethical issues and the practical aspects of doing research in a developing country are also discussed. There are indications to why there seems to be emphasis on certain 'areas' and 'themes' within the broader rubric of Nepal Studies, while other issues lie in relative disregard. Nepal studies in the UK will be useful to all those interested in the contemporary history of Nepal Studies and more broadly in the political economy of knowledge generation.
Protyoush Onta is a historian associated with Martin Chautari and the Centre for Social Research and Development in Kathmandu. He has written on Nepali nationalism, Gurkha history, Institutions and media. The publications to his credit include ten edited or co-edited books, seven of which deal with the Nepali media and the remaining three with the women's dalit and jajati movements in Nepal. He is also an editor of the journal Studies in Nepali History and Society.
