“House, Household, and Home Revisiting Anthropological and Policy Frameworks through Postearthquake Reconstruction Experiences in Nepal”
Sara Shneiderman, Bina Khapunghang Limbu, Jeevan Baniya, Manoj Suji, Nabin Rawal, Prakash Chandra Subedi, and Cameron David Warner recently published an article in the journal Current Anthropology titled: “House, Household, and Home: Revisiting Anthropological and Policy Frameworks through Postearthquake Reconstruction Experiences in Nepal.” The authors discuss how post-earthquake reconstruction in Nepal revealed shortcomings in legal definitions of ownership and residence, affecting people’s sense of belonging. They emphasize the importance of considering the term “household” in social and economic analysis while recognizing the mobility in modern residence and kinship patterns. The findings suggest that policymakers should carefully define these terms for more inclusive disaster relief efforts in the future.
Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1086/727369
New Publication: “Beyond Reconstruction: What Leads to Satisfaction in Post-Disaster Recovery?”
Ratna K. Shrestha, Raunak Shrestha, Sara Shneiderman, and Jeevan Baniya have just published a new academic article about the recovery following the 2015 earthquakes entitled “Beyond Reconstruction: What Leads to Satisfaction in Post-Disaster Recovery?” in the Journal of Happiness Studies. The authors found that freedom of choice throughout the reconstruction process is a much stronger predictor of satisfaction than the extent of the reconstruction. They were surprised to find that factors such as income, education, location, occupation, household size and age of respondents did not statistically affect satisfaction in the reconstruction and recovery processes. The only statistically significant factors in levels of satisfaction, aside from freedom of choice, were gender and ethnicity. As the authors note, “These findings underscore the importance of freedom, and ethnic or gender-specific policies, in promoting well-being in post-disaster recovery.”
Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-023-00642-6
Policy Brief and Working Paper Series Complete
We are pleased to announce that our Policy Brief and Working Papers Series are now complete, with the publication of Policy Brief 3 on Construction and Policy Brief 4 on Heritage, along with the Working Paper “Reconstructing Nepal: Sindhupalchowk – Hybrid Construction and Financial Flows”.
These materials can be accessed through our Project Publications page here or the links below.
Sindhupalchowk Working Paper: Limbu, Bina, Manoj Suji, Jeevan Baniya, Prakash Chandra Subedi and Nabin Rawal. 2022. “Reconstructing Nepal: Sindhupalchowk – Hybrid Construction and Financial Flows”. Working Paper, Social Science Baha, Kathmandu. Available from: [publication page] [PDF].
Abstract: This working paper is an output of the research project, ‘Expertise, Labour and Mobility in Nepal’s Post-Conflict, Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Construction, Law and Finance as Domains of Social Transformation’. It is based on the findings from the research conducted in three of the most affected districts by the 2015 earthquakes, Bhaktapur, Dhading and Sindhupalchowk. Following the theme of the project, the paper looks at the interplay of different vectors as they affect issues related to construction, law and finance during the post-earthquake reconstruction in Nepal.
Policy Brief 3: Reconstructing Nepal – Construction. 2021. Expertise, Labour, and Mobility in Nepal’s Post-Conflict, Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Construction, Finance, and Law as Domains of Social Transformation. Social Science Baha, Kathamandu. Available from: [publication page] [PDF].
Policy Brief 4: Reconstructing Nepal – Heritage. 2021. Expertise, Labour, and Mobility in Nepal’s Post-Conflict, Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Construction, Finance, and Law as Domains of Social Transformation. Social Science Baha, Kathamandu. Available from: [publication page] [PDF].
NEPAL: Rebuilding from Disaster, Preparing for the Future (LSE South Asia Centre)
We are pleased to share more information about an upcoming event hosted by LSE South Asia Centre titled “NEPAL: Rebuilding from Disaster, Preparing for the Future” on March 10th, 2022 at 8:30am (PST). This roundtable event focuses on disaster governance in Nepal and on how the earthquakes of 2015 have shaped to mitigate future disasters.
Speakers include:
- Nimesh Dhungana (Lecturer in Disasters & Global Health at the Humanitarian & Conflict Response Institute, University of Manchester)
- Katie Oven (Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Fellow in Geography & Environmental Sciences at Northumbria University)
- Shobhana Pradhan (Nepal Country Director at BBC Media Action)
- Sara Shneiderman (Associate Professor in Anthropology at the School of Public Policy & Global Affairs/Institute of Asian Research at the University of British Columbia)
The event will be held online and you can register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nepal-rebuilding-from-disaster-preparing-for-the-future-tickets-239805894887
More information about the event can be found here: https://www.lse.ac.uk/south-asia-centre/events
New Publication: “Expertise, Labour and Mobility in Nepal’s Post-Conflict, Post-Disaster Reconstruction”
A new publication by project members , , , , , , , , , , , and “Expertise, Labour and Mobility in Nepal’s Post-Conflict, Post-Disaster Reconstruction” has been published in the Cambridge University Press volume edited by Michael Hutt, Mark Liechty, and Stefanie Lotter, titled Epicentre to Aftermath: Rebuilding and Remembering in the Wake of Nepal’s Earthquakes.
The volume is available online here:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/epicentre-to-aftermath/F136D60423A95390DEA19F0F374AFCBB
Dhading Working Paper Published
We are pleased to share that the Dhading Working Paper has just been published. Please find the publication details and abstract below. The paper can be accessed through our Project Publications page here or the links below.
Dhading Working Paper: Rawal, Nabin, Manoj Suji, Bina Limbu, Prakash Chandra Subedi & Jeevan Baniya. 2021. “Reconstructing Nepal: Dhading – Patchwork Policies and Multiple Structures.” Working Paper, Social Science Baha, Kathmandu. Available from: [publication page] [PDF]
Abstract: This working paper is an output of the research project, ‘Expertise, Labour and Mobility in Nepal’s Post-Conflict, Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Construction, Law and Finance as Domains of Social Transformation’. The project conducted research in three of the districts most affected by the 2015 earthquakes: Bhaktapur, Dhading and Sindhupalchowk. This paper is based on the findings from the field site in Dhading. It looks at the relationship between construction, law and finance as vectors of social transformation during the process of post-earthquake reconstruction in the village of Borang in Dhading.
Policy Briefs 1 & 2 Published
We are excited to share that our first two policy briefs on the themes of ‘Law’ and ‘Finance’ have just been published and you can find the citation details and direct links to the PDFs below. These publications mark the 6th anniversary of the April 25th earthquake in Nepal, and will be followed by two more policy briefs on the themes of ‘Construction’ and ‘Heritage.’
Policy Brief 1: Reconstructing Nepal – Law. 2021. Expertise, Labour, and Mobility in Nepal’s Post-Conflict, Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Construction, Finance, and Law as Domains of Social Transformation. Social Science Baha, Kathamandu. Available from: [publication page] [PDF]
Policy Brief 2: Reconstructing Nepal – Finance. 2021. Expertise, Labour, and Mobility in Nepal’s Post-Conflict, Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Construction, Finance, and Law as Domains of Social Transformation. Social Science Baha, Kathamandu. Available from: [publication page] [PDF]
New Publication in Collaborative Anthropologies
We are pleased to announce the publication of a new article in Collaborative Anthropologies titled “The Ethnography of Collaboration: Navigating Power Relationships in Joint Research” by project participants: Omer Aijazi, Emily Amburgey, Bina Limbu, Manoj Suji, James Binks, Courtney Balaz-Munn, Katharine Rankin and Sara Shneiderman.
Abstract: We came together to write a paper on the devaluation of field researcher labor as an entry point into the broader domain of research ethics to unpack what collaboration may mean in settings of incommensurable inequality. These motivations were grounded in the materialities of our involvement within an international research project focused on post- earthquake reconstruction processes in Nepal since 2015. However, since we started writing this piece, some of us felt that the paper did not adequately reflect their experiences, others felt it put them in the hot seat too quickly, and some thought that it mimicked the faulty modes of collaboration we wanted to unsettle in the first place. Realizing the power dynamics within our own writing collective, we stepped away from a centralized narrative to make room for our diverse, sometimes complementary, sometimes contradictory experiences. The paper is a bricolage of reflections that focus on issues such as the division of labor, coauthorship, and community engagement. We use these reflections as a way to think critically about the current juncture of transnational, collaborative research and propose a series of open- ended reflections that prompt the problematization of the inequities, tensions, and emotional labor inherent in collaborative work.
Click here to access the article. Click here for full citation details.
New Photo Collection
We are pleased to announce that our fieldwork photo collection of 216 images has now been published by UBC cIRcle, an open-access digital repository for research and teaching materials. The full collection can be viewed here.
This collection is a compilation of images taken by members of the Social Science Baha research team located in Kathmandu, Nepal. The pictures were taken while conducting fieldwork between 2018-2019. The images portray community members’ experiences following the earthquakes of 2015 in three regions of Nepal: Bhaktapur, Kathmandu Valley; Borang, Dhading; Kartike, Sindhupalchowk.
A selection of photos can be found on our Photo Collection page here.
National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Conference Presentation
On August 25th, 2020, Dr. Sara Shneiderman (Associate Professor in Anthropology and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at UBC) presented a co-authored paper stemming from our SSHRC Partnership Development Grant at the web-based ‘National Symposium on Nepal’s Reconstruction (NSNR-2020) hosted by the Government of Nepal’s National Reconstruction Authority (NRA). The theme of the session was focused on ‘Private Housing — Housing Policy from beneficiary perspective.’
Paper Title: ‘House, Household and Home: Revisiting Social Science and Policy Frameworks through Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Experiences in Nepal’
Authors: Sara Shneiderman (University of British Columbia), Jeevan Baniya (Social Science Baha), Bina Limbu (Social Science Baha), Manoj Suji (Social Science Baha), Nabin Rawal (Tribhuvan University), Prakash Chandra Subedi (Social Science Baha), Cameron Warner (Aarhus University).
Please find the recorded presentation here (approximate time 35:50-47:40).
News
Feb 05, 2018
