Andrew Nelson

Regional focus: South Asia, Nepal.

Topical interests: History of anthropology, sociology of knowledge, postcolonial theory.

I hold a BA from Grinnell College (2000) and an MA from the University of London, SOAS (2004). My master's research studied the ways in which the western media produce discourses about Nepal (U.S. newspaper articles on the Maoist insurgency) and India (U.K. and U.S. reviews of Hindi films).

I'm now interested in looking at the ways in which anthropological discourse emphasizes Nepali mountain groups in constructing Nepali cultural identity. I'm interested in why and how Nepal has come to be considered a proper site for anthropological fieldwork. I anticipate that this will entail an investigation of how ethnographic notions of difference are interpreted and used in various arenas of social practice outside of anthropology.

Related links: http://www.martinchautari.org.np/