Madheshi Uprising : The Resurgence of Ethnicity

This book analyzes the 2007 Madheshi uprising, the identity based antagonisms that fueled it, complex motivations of the participants of the uprising, the insensitivity and the political miscalculations of the Nepalese state and intelligentsia. It offers a multifaceted examination of Nepal’s Tarai region’s complex social diversity, political history and process of alienation of Madheshis from the rest of Nepal.

The Madheshi Community launched in 2007 the largest ever ethnic uprising in Nepal that shook the Nepali state to its very core. The event resulted in significant loss of life, injuries, damage of properties and disruption of ethnic harmony. The uprising was an outcome of a deep-rooted problem with strong historical underpinnings that can be traced as far back as the era when Nepal was built as a state. It has persisted up to the present and may continue to persist and threaten the national security and territorial integrity of Nepal unless appropriate action are taken to address the problem.