Political borders and the transformations of Kirat Rai mythology

von Stockhausen, Alban; Wettstein, Marion (28 July 2021). Political borders and the transformations of Kirat Rai mythology (Unpublished). In: 26th European Conference on South Asian Studies (ECSAS) 2020. Vienna. 26 – 29 July 2021.

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Kirat Rai mythology largely ignores the segregation of local cultures along political borders of nation-states and citizenship. In contrary, most mythologies seem to seamlessly integrate neighbouring regions and communities into their local narratives even if fundamental differences in language, religion or cultural practices would strongly support a more distinct differentiation. The paper analyses selected examples of mythological narratives as pronounced by local ritual specialists of the Dumi Rai. Highlighted are elements that refer to specific social and political relations with neighbouring groups of the Rai within Nepal and across the Indian border. Built on the findings of this analysis, the question is raised how these local narratives are transformed when communicated through large contemporary political and social organisations. Is it in these adapted narratives that the concepts and social consequences of political borders become introduced and relevant?

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Division/Institute:	06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Art and Cultural Studies > Institute of Art History 06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Art and Cultural Studies > Institute for the Science of Religion
UniBE Contributor:	von Stockhausen, Alban Ada, Wettstein, Marion
Subjects:	700 Arts 200 Religion 300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology
Language:	English
Submitter:	Marion von Stockhausen-Wettstein
Date Deposited:	18 Mar 2022 09:57
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 16:12
Additional Information:	rescheduled to 2021
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Nepal, Rai, Dumi, mythology, politics, national borders
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/166340