Nepal on the move: Conflict, migration and stability

project summary

Migration within Nepal, to India and to join the British army have been practiced for generations. However, flows of migration have intensified during the decade of armed conflict. Migrant destinations such as the Gulf countries, Europe, North America, Southeast Asia and Australia have attracted an increasing number of young Nepalis in search of work and education. These changing patterns of migration have led to diverse forms of multi-locality. We seek to understand how these mobility processes challenge and stimulate the current nation-building project. We address the implications of mobility for designing in a new constitution binding notions of citizenship and civil rights that have traditionally been linked to place of birth or registered place of residence. Bearing in mind that a large and increasing proportion of the population is residing outside Nepal, it is of utmost importance for democracy in Nepal to adequately address these issues. Scrutinizing how migration and political involvement are intertwined in the post-conflict nation-building for people involved, the project aims at breaking new ground methodologically and analytically in migration and conflict studies. We also engage in knowledge-sharing workshops with relevant stakeholders to encourage dialogue on the political importance of migration in relation to the political processes within Nepal.