The Visual Anthropology of Migration Histories: Discovering the Mobility of Nepali Women through Visuals

Abstract

This article uses visual anthropology to bring forth the migration histories of Nepali women, especially those related to Gurkha soldiers. Using personal and archival photographs and videos of migrants and their families, this article uncovers mobility patterns and migration histories of some Nepali women. The article uses visuals to build a narrative that deals not just with migration histories and destinations that go beyond South Asia, but the larger meanings that individuals attach to the visuals. This article goes beyond the “factual data” that the visuals “reveal” by talking to the individuals in the photos or those possessing the photos about the contexts and experiences attached to those photos. The photos, taken mostly during the 20th century, help individuals not just to be reminiscent about the past, but also to reflect critically on their migration pathways and experiences retrospectively.