Land, livelihood and rana tharu identity transformations in far-western Nepal

This paper focuses on the identity of the Tharu, who live throughout the Tarai region. There have been social movements among Tharus that aim to promote their ethnic identity by opposing the Hindu identity and caste system. However, my ethnographic study of the Rana Tharu, a sub-group of Tharu in far-western Nepal, shows that the everyday practice of ethnic identity is fluid and dynamic, and cannot be understood in terms of a single ideology. While ideologies concerning "Sanskritization" and "Indigenousness" have dominated the discussion of social reforms and ethnic movements in Nepal, I find that a hybrid approach is more relevant to the Rana Tharu situation. The Rana Tharu adopted social movement strategies that differed from those of other Tharu groups. Ranas actively used different identities and cultural practices to achieve an equal social footing with the dominant hill settlers (Pahaaris). They imitated hill cultures on the one hand but also clung to some of their traditional customs and were proud of "being Rana." The motivation behind this was not merely to gain more political power but also to obtain a better livelihood and self-identity. This paper adopts a bottom-up perspective by viewing ethnicity at the local level. The Rana case illustrates that the nature of ethnicity was situational, topical and dynamic. Ranas practiced different forms of identity when reacting to social change, history and livelihood. Ranas were engaged in a kind of complex balancing and interweaving of identity strategies that combine aspects of the discourses of both Sanskritization and Indigenousness. This identity and cultural management was the major force in the transformation of Rana Tharu society.