ABSTRACT
The growing scholarly interest, as reflected in this volume, in processes of cultural change in contemporary Nepal mirrors the increasing concern among many Nepalis publicly to redefine their national identity and to establish how it relates to the cultures and traditions of ethnic minorities. 1 Recent events in cultural politics are closely interwoven with the political transformation that was marked, among other things, by the promulgation of a new constitution in November 1990. The new Nepalese Constitution does not merely shift sovereignty from the King to the people, re-introducing a multi-party parliamentary democracy. It declares the kingdom to be multi-ethnic and multi-lingual, which is a drastic departure from the governmental measures aimed at the homogenization of Nepalese society during the preceding decades.
