ABSTRACT
Ethnopolitics in Nepal are extremely complex and involve issues of caste, indigeneity, religion, racial and ethnic minorities, language, and center versus periphery, as expressed in inequalities of wealth, social and political power, land ownership and access to and control over natural resources. Domination by one caste (Bahun-Chetris), one religion (Hindu), one language (Nepali) and one culture (Hindu), one sex (male) and one region (Hill/central) has resulted in institutionalized discrimination against and the marginalization of multiple communities in virtually all areas of daily life. Until and unless the legitimate economic, political and cultural demands of various oppressed, excluded, marginalized, disadvantaged caste, ethnic, and indigenous groups are recognized and acted upon, the deeply embedded fault lines in Nepali society will inevitably lead to further fractures and increase the likelihood of armed conflict.
