Infrastructures of Democracy: Politics and Processes of Road Building in Rural Nepal

Book Discussion Infrastructures of Democracy: Politics and Processes of Road Building in Rural Nepal (Martin Chautari, 2026) Edited by Katharine N. Rankin, Sara Shneiderman, Mukta S. Tamang मिति, समय र स्थान : 7 June 2026/२४ जेठ २०८३ (आइतबार, दिउँसो ३ बजे) मार्टिन चौतारी सभाकक्ष, थापाथली, काठमाडौँ About the Book: Infrastructures of Democracy is useful for understanding how the planning and implementation of different modalities of road construction in rural Nepal take place. It is fascinating to read how formal and informal planning for district roads is shaped by the power and influence of political parties eventually leading to burdens for the marginalized people, high levels of corruption among those involved in the nexus, and poor quality of roads. It gives hints to how social justice can be promoted in road building. Jagannath Adhikari, Author of Food Crisis in Karnali Moderator: Mukta S. Tamang is an Anthropologist and teaches at Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University. He received his PhD from Cornell University. He has done extensive research on indigenous peoples, Tamang society, history and culture as well as social development in Nepal. Discussants: Sabin Ninglekhu is a geographer. His areas of work include urban poverty, slum, heritage, planning and social/Indigenous movements. Jeevan Baniya is Deputy Director, Social Science Baha; Research Director, Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility (CESLAM), Kathmandu, Nepal. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Oslo. At Social Science Baha, he leads research on inclusive governance, disasters, social inclusion, and labour and mobility. Bandana Gyawali is faculty at the Southasia Institute for History and Philosophy (SiHP). Respondents: Tulasi Sharan Sigdel is Senior Director at the Nepal Administrative Staff College, where he has worked for 15 years, and holds a master’s degree from the Central Department of Rural Development, Tribhuvan University. He has worked as a researcher in the “Landscape of Democracy” and “Infrastructure of Democracy” research project since 2010. Samjhana Nepali is the Lead - Programs and Outreach at photo.circle and a researcher at Nepal Picture Library. She is pursuing an MA in Anthropology at the Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, and served as a community-based researcher in Mugu for the Infrastructures of Democracy project. Katharine N. Rankin is Professor of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto and a 2025–2026 Faculty Fellow at the Jackman Humanities Institute.