Democratic Form: Conceptions and Practices in the Making of ‘New Nepal’

Abstract

There has been political strife and bloodshed for the last ten years over what type of political system is appropriate for Nepal. For the last four years, it has been a collaboration of people from all different political ideologies coming together to demand democracy and the overthrow of the king and his dictatorial ways. Yet, in reality, people have very different conceptions of democracy. What type of democracy works best? There are many varying opinions that are currently being contested: multiparty democracy, democratic republic, consensus, or majority vote. Furthermore, this topic is prevalent in an era where America is trying to export 'American-style democracy' ― a system whereby it is assumed that, through the democratic process, the population gets the government that best represents it. In this article, I will analytically compare Nepali political activists' various notions of what democracy is and what processes it entails with how Nepali student organisations, affiliated with the mainstream political parties, engage democracy on an internal, institutional level. It is within student politics that tomorrow's politicians are trained and indoctrinated into the mainstream political system. Therefore, looking at the internal practices of the student organisations is a useful way to understand how democracy is understood and will form in the larger democratic system of Nepal. Using first-hand ethnographic data from the national conventions of the student organisations' affiliated with the seven-party alliance, I will analyse how these student organisations are demonstrating their democratic capacities in the light of making a 'New Nepal'.