Barn i Nepal kan ses som en särskilt utsatt grupp då en av landets utmaningar är att hantera de barn vars levnadsförhållanden kränks och därmed placeras på barnhem (Conley Wright et al. 2014, s. 135). Då personal på barnhem arbetar med en målgrupp som lever med social pro- blematik kan det ses som viktigt att fokusera på deras perspektiv. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka personalens arbetssituation på ett barnhem i Nepal. Studien har en etnografisk ansats och är baserad på såväl observationer som intervjuer av personal på ett barnhem. Vid bearbetning och analys av materialet har analysmetoden grounded theory tillämpats. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkter består av Meads (1976) teoribildning symbolisk interaktionism samt Durkheims (1978) definition av begreppet socialisation. Resultaten har analyserats uti- från dessa teoretiker samt den forskning som presenteras. Studiens resultat visar att persona- len definierar sig själva och varandra utifrån familjeroller och att arbetet till stor del influeras av denna rolluppsättning. Resultaten visar att det finns en koppling mellan personalens roller och arbetsfördelning på barnhemmet, där dessa komponenter ständigt påverkar varandra. Vi- dare visar resultaten att personalens arbete till stor del grundar sig i att socialisera samt eta- blera flickorna i samhället och att deras arbete påverkas av yttre faktorer från samhälleliga normer. Slutligen lyfter resultaten fram betydelsen av den samhällsstruktur och hur de förut- sättningar som finns inom Nepal påverkar barnhemmets utformning.

The Leasehold Forestry and Livestock Program (LFLP) was initiated by the Nepal Department of Forest (DOF) in 1993 with two goals: (1) resource regeneration and (2) poverty alleviation. Through support from the United Nations' International Fund for Agriculture Development, the DOF allocated degraded forest and rangeland to eligible, poor households in 10 pilot districts. Today the program supports almost 17,000 families in 22 districts. While the program's tenure and expansion portends success, some have called to question its real economic impact (Baral et al. 2003, Thoms et al. 2006). An exploratory assessment of LFLP was conducted in four districts through in-depth interviews with two major stakeholders: (1) Departments of Forest and Livestock Services officials, who administer LFLP, and (2) user groups. The objectives of the study were to assess perceptions of the social, ecological and economic impacts of LFLP from the perspectives of those most intimately involved in program delivery and outcomes. Thirty personal interviews were conducted in the fall of 2007. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative analysis procedures. According to study participants, LFLP has contributed to resource regeneration, healthy forest composition, and increased biodiversity in leased forest parcels through controlled grazing, reforestation incentives, and local management. However, mixed reviews of the economic impact of the program were recorded. The collection of rotational funds among user groups has opened avenues of small investments. Yet, study participants blamed inadequate human resources within the Departments for impairing service delivery and depressing the rate of economic return. Furthermore, ambiguous and inconsistently enforced policies around program guideline compliance have engendered conflict over resource access and use. Perhaps the most significant windfall to user groups is not poverty alleviation but rather increased social capital and capacity building among user groups. User group formation has strengthened networks between members in standing against social discrimination, lobbying their rights at the district level, and sharing knowledge. Our findings suggest that benefits attained by user groups are not entirely commensurate with LFLP goals. We recommend further research on the economic impacts of LFLP. In addition, LFLP officials should recognize and bolster investments in social capital among LFLP user groups.

In this thesis, I have first reviewed biodiversity status and its conservation in Nepal, which indicates the need of linking the gaps between research and conservation of rare and endangered flora and fauna. Using three mountain ungulates as model species (barking deer - Muntiacus muntjak, Himalayan goral - Naemorhedus goral and Himalayan serow - Capricornis thar), I have investigated effects of human disturbances on wildlife distribution in the human-dominated landscapes of western Nepal, spanning from the subtropical Bardia National Park to the mountainous Shey Phoksundo National Park. I have developed habitat suitability maps for these three ungulate species and recommended a conservation priority area for their conservation. A special emphasis was placed on the study of the distribution of Himalayan serow using different factors related to habitat fragmentation, hunting and patch characteristics and connectivity of forest in midhills landscape of Nepal. Finally, wildlife hunting pattern in the region was investigated in order to explore wildlife conservation issues from the social perspective.

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abstract: This research assessed the sustainability of protected area-based tourism systems in Nepal. The research was composed of three interrelated studies. The first study evaluated different approaches to protected area governance. This was a multiple-case study research involving three protected areas in Nepal: the Annapurna Conservation Area, Chitwan National Park, and the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area. Data were collected from various published and unpublished sources and supplemented with 55 face-to-face interviews. Results revealed that outcomes pertaining to biodiversity conservation, community livelihoods, and sustainable tourism vary across these protected areas. The study concluded that there is no institutional panacea for managing protected areas. The second study diagnosed the sustainability of tourism in two destination communities: Ghandruk and Sauraha, which are located within the Annapurna Conservation Area and Chitwan National Park, respectively. A systemic, holistic approach--the social-ecological system framework--was used to analyze the structures, processes, and outcomes of tourism development. Data collection involved 45 face-to-face semi-structured interviews and a review of published and unpublished documents. Results revealed that tourism has several positive and a few negative sociocultural, economic, and ecological outcomes in both communities. Overall, tourism has progressed towards sustainability in these destinations. The third study examined tourism stakeholders' perspectives regarding sustainable tourism outcomes in protected areas. The study compared the responses of residents with residents, as well as tourists with tourists, across the Annapurna Conservation Area and Chitwan National Park. Tourism sustainability was evaluated with six tourism impact subscales measuring negative and positive ecological, economic, and social impacts. Data were collected using the survey method. Respondents included 230 residents and 205 tourists in Annapurna, and 220 residents and 210 tourists in Chitwan. The findings revealed that the residents across these protected areas perceived positive and negative impacts differently, as did the tourists, suggesting that the form of tourism development affects the sustainability outcomes in protected areas. Overall, this research concluded that protected areas and tourism are intricately related, and sustainable management of a protected area-based tourism system requires a polycentric adaptive approach that warrants a broad participation of relevant stakeholders. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Community Resources and Development 2014

abstract: Suicide is one of the fastest-growing and least-understood causes of death, particularly in low and middle income countries (LMIC). In low-income settings, where the technical capacity for death surveillance is limited, suicides may constitute a significant portion of early deaths, but disappear as they are filtered through reporting systems shaped by social, cultural, and political institutions. These deaths become unknown and unaddressed. This dissertation illuminates how suicide is perceived, contested, experienced, and interpreted in institutions ranging from the local (i.e., family, community) to the professional (i.e., medical, law enforcement) in Nepal, a country purported to have one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Drawing on a critical medical anthropology approach, I bridge public health and anthropological perspectives to better situate the problem of suicide within a greater social-political context. I argue that these complex, contestable deaths, become falsely homogenized, or lost. During 18 months of fieldwork in Nepal, qualitative, data tracing, and psychological autopsy methodologies were conducted. Findings are shared through three lenses: (1) health policy and world systems; (2) epidemiology and (3) socio-cultural. The first investigates how actors representing familial, legal, and medical institutions perceive, contest, and negotiate suicide documentation, ultimately failing to accurately capture a leading cause of death. Using epidemiologic perspectives, surveillance data from medical and legal agencies are analyzed and pragmatic approaches to better detect and prevent suicidal death in the Nepali context are recommended. The third lens provides perceived explanatory models for suicide. These narratives offer important insights into the material, social, and cultural factors that shape suicidal acts in Nepal. Findings are triangulated to inform policy, prevention, and intervention approaches to reduce suicidal behavior and improve health system capabilities to monitor violent deaths. These approaches go beyond typical psychological investigations of suicide by situating self-inflicted death within broader familial, social, and political contexts. Findings contribute to cultural anthropological theories related to suicide and knowledge production, while informing public health solutions. Looking from the margins towards centers of power, this dissertation explicates how varying institutional numbers can obfuscate and invalidate suffering experienced at local levels. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Social Science and Health 2017

This research explores the indigenous conflict resolution processes practiced by the Tharu community living in Nepal’s Bara, Dang and Bardiya districts, the role of Tharu traditions and customs, and the function of the Barghar-Mukhiya. Due to geographic and monetary challenges experienced by the Tharu accessing Nepal’s formal justice system, they continue to serve as a viable and vibrant vehicle for resolving minor and major conflicts at the community level and form the basis of researcher’s Barghar-Mukhiya model. Shaped by Tharu collectivist culture and traditions, it supports the social fabric of the community. Utilizing qualitative case study methodology, this research assesses important aspects of the Barghar-Mukhiya model, processes and impact. Primary data sources include individual and focus group interviews, and researcher observations; and, secondary sources include document collections and archival material. Research findings explore six emergent themes: Rituals/Festivals, Inclusion/Dialogue, Identity/Security, Structure/Barghar-Mukhiya, Process/Reconciliation Processes, and Participation/Acceptance. This model is assessed for strengths and challenges. Where it is practiced, it continues to help maintain community harmony and peace. The model’s core of restorative practices, forgiveness, reconciliation, consensus-based decision-making, and use of dialogue circles is instrumental in transforming conflicts. This research contributes to the field of peace and conflict studies, providing analysis of an indigenous model that strives to reach a balance between traditional beliefs and the modern judicial system.

This paper critically interrogates Nepal’s national policies on caste based discrimination, thatwere implemented post the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2006. It usesCarol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented to be?’ (WPR) method for policy analysis tounderstand the problem representations within existing policies that address discrimination based on caste in Nepal today. This study is conducted vis a vis the role of the current government in shaping the understanding of the ‘problem’ representation in these policies. This study aspires to show that the problem of caste based discrimination in Nepal cannot be represented solely as a problem of poverty and development. Instead, policy reforms need to prioritize the recognition of caste based discrimination as a problem, in and of itself, in order to alleviate the suffering and discrimination of caste affected groups in Nepal.

Bakgrund: Det är brist på studier av vårdgivarnas behov i södra Asien. Studien kommer förhoppningsvis att leda till bättre vård för personer med funktionshinder och arbetsmiljö för vårdgivarna. Syfte: Beskriva vårdgivares erfarenheter i vård av funktionshindrade. Metoder: Semi-strukturerade bandade intervjuer genomfördes med vårdgivare. Vårdgivare definierades som vem som helst över arton år på alla utbildningsnivåer med erfarenhet av vård av funktionshindrade. Intervjuerna genomfördes i två boenden, ett sjukhus och ett rehabiliteringscenter i Katmandu. Den engelska data transkriberades i verbatim och analyserades med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: De upptäckta kategorierna var dagliga livet, långsiktiga förändringar, organisation och uppfattning. Slutsatser: Tillgång till utbildning, rehabilitering, sysselsättning och kollektivtrafik behövs. Ökad tillgång till hjälpmedel är också efterfrågad. En samhällsförändring med förbättrad kunskap om funktionshinder, ökad acceptans och strukturer för att undvika inkomstförlust.Nyckelord: Nepal, omvårdnadsbehov, personer med funktionshinder, vårdgivare / Background: There is a lack of studies made on the needs of caregivers of persons with disabilities in south asia. The study will hopefully lead to better care for persons with disabilities and work environment for the caregivers. Aim: The aim was to describe the experiences from caregivers about caring for people with disabilities. Methods: Semi-structured taped interviews were conducted with caregivers. Eight caregivers were interviewed, one was a physiotherapist, three were employed caregivers and four were relatives. Six interviews were in nepali with a translator and two in english. Caregivers were defined as anyone above eighteen years at any level of education with experience of providing care for persons with disabilities. The interviews were conducted in two shelters, one hospitals and one rehabilitation centre in Kathmandu. The english data was transcribed in verbatim and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The discovered subcategories were daily life, organization, long term life changes and perceptions. Conclusions: Accessibility to education, rehabilitation, employment and public transport is needed. Increased access to assistive devices is also requested. A societal change with improved knowledge about disabilities, increased acceptance and structures to avoid a loss of income. Key terms: caregiver, Nepal, nursing needs, persons with disabilities

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第22865号 / 地環博第204号 / 新制||地環||39(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎環境マネジメント専攻 / (主査)准教授 真常 仁志, 教授 舟川 晋也, 教授 藤井 滋穂 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM