Post-Earthquake Reconstruction in Nepal: Conformance the Assumptions, Actions, and Achievements

Post-earthquake reconstruction works is a consequential mission. The principal premises of the mission are the goal of speedily rebuilding, well-structured plans, extensive local resources mobilization, and commissioning leadership in the reconstruction and rehabilitation works. Nepal’s pluralistic character, political upheavals, and shortcoming of resources are real-time challenges to mission accomplishment. Congruence of the assumptions, actions, and achievements concerning physical, socio-psychological, cultural, and financial dimensions of vulnerabilities is of foremost significance because the social acceptance and/or rejection is a critical determinant of the mission accomplishment. This study aims to determine the congruence level of assumptions, actions, and accomplishments concerning the managerial process activities of the National Reconstruction Authority, which are addressing the concerns of reconstruction work, national interest, and social justice. An exploration on the Authority’s attention to the reciprocal eco-cultural resiliency measures has also been made to find a balance among the concerns. The study begins with reviewing the Acts, policies, directives, standards, and working procedures concerning the reconstruction works. The Authority’s annual reports and decisions of the Appellate Committee are taken as the sources of information. A matrix form of NRA’s process activities, key assumptions, major actions, and notable accomplishments is prepared for analysis. Matchmaking of the assumptions with the actions and achievements has been made, and the level of their congruence assessed. The level of congruence among the assumptions, actions, and achievements concerning the consequential mission is found unsatisfactory. There is an absence of process activities concerning the reciprocal eco-cultural resiliency, national interest, and social justice. Partially adapted the process activities and corresponding assumptions, actions, and achievements seems insufficient to achieve the envisioned transformation in the disaster-affected districts. Deeply rooted self interest of the people and institutions associated with the consequential mission stands as a major challenge in the process of reconstruction.

Symbols and Strategies: Acts of Métis Resistance - Using the List of Rights as a Framework for the Reclamation of Indigenous Child Welfare in British Columbia and Canada

This article engages the reader in comparing the Métis List of Rights, originally authored by Louis Riel, with the current state of Indigenous child welfare in British Columbia and Canada. The relationship between children’s resiliency and cultural resiliency is explored. Using a critical lens, a framework defining the progression of social regulation is presented. This paper begins by setting out the framework with its accompanying nine aspects: profit, competition, self-interest, justice, rights, duties, love, compassion and devotion. The discussion acknowledges children as sacred which allows us to move beyond conservative and socialist ideals. Then there is a discussion on the aspects of the Métis List of Rights with comments respecting the symbolic and literal application of the aspects to reclaiming Indigenous child welfare. Finally the article ends with recommendations for holistic pathway for reform.

Anthropological futures for the study of cultural resilience of ‘Western’ societies in the face of climate change

Climate change, as a scientifically defined global phenomenon, threatens the cultural resiliency of societies the world over. Anthropology has accrued a rich body of ethnographic research that has illuminated the potential of cultural resiliency for indigenous and non-Western societies. This information is vital for understanding the political, social, and economic movement of these societies. However, the same research focus and academic rigor has not been applied to non-indigenous, Western societies. These societies have been examined for economic and ecological resilience, but there is a detrimental vacuum of ethnographic understanding. Research relevant to climate change is restricted to etic, survey analysis. This research is invaluable but cannot resolve deeper “why” questions regarding political, social, and economic movements in the West. Furthermore, the survey data from within Canada is severely limited, making any analysis of non-indigenous Canadian society vague and riddled with caveats. This paper discusses the academic neglect regarding the cultural resiliency of non-indigenous, Western societies. From existing literature, the author constructs a research framework for Alberta, Canada—the province placed at the crux of the national climate change debate. Anthropological institutions must ask themselves why this demographic is excluded from the same critical analysis applied to indigenous and non-Western societies and move to correct this discrepancy.