Himalayan People's War Nepal's Maoist Rebellion [Paperback]

This is a readable and high-quality book. It provides more information and insight on the most successful Marxist rebellion in South Asias history than has previously been found within one set of covers. David Gellner

The eruption of a violent Maoist insurgency in Nepal in the late 1990s was met with bewilderment even among many who claimed to know the country well. The so-called peoples war was launched in 1996 by the Communist Party of Nepal to overthrow the political establishment, including the monarchy. Tactics have included killing members of rival parties as well as attacks on police stations, banks, and power installations. The indiscriminate nature of the governments military response has been widely criticized. In 2001, Nepals political situation came to the attention of Western news media with the murders of members of the royal family. This book provides historical, social, and political background on the movement and related events in this ongoing struggle. The contributors examine the wars origins and antecedents, provide ethnographic accounts from rural and urban perspectives, and draw comparisons with other Maoist movements elsewhere in the world. Includes full text of key documents by the rebels and government.

Michael Hutt is Reader in Nepali and Himalayan Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Introduction: Monarchy, Democracy, and Maoism in Nepal Michael Hutt

Part I. The Political Context

Radicalism and the Emergence of the Maoists Deepak Thapa

The Maoist Movement: An Evolutionary Perspective Sudheer Sharma

The Nepali State and the Maoist Insurgency, 1996-2001 Krishna Hachhethu

Part II. The Maoists and the People

The Path to Jan Sarkar in Dolakha District: Towards an Ethnography of the Maoist Movement Sara Shneiderman and Mark Turin

Ethnic Demands within Maoism: Questions of Magar Territorial Autonomy, Nationality, and Class Marie LlÃa