Modern Dharma - by Paola Tiné

About the Book

"Modern Dharma asks how Nepalese people live dharma, an ethical, good life, in a rapidly-evolving society. In the aftermath of a decade-long civil war that raged between 1996 and 2006, social change accelerated in Nepal as the shift to a market economy and the spread of education and media built the foundation for a new middle class to form. As it did, tension between expressing individual will and the expectation to submit to traditional social hierarchies built. Today, people in Nepal are confronted by the need to restructure moral codes and to care for their families, while at the same time, they face intense pressure to keep up with the cost of education and to find work in an increasingly competitive labor market. Amidst these changes, people make often describe their choices as falling under the broader goal of pursuing well-being. Modern Dharma investigates how and why - amidst often conflicting priorities - people make choices in pursuit of well-being. Anthropologist Paola Tinâe investigates why many large families separate into smaller nuclei, while others maintain intra-generational homes. She asks why and how young people seek the support of their friends, while often hiding private desires from their parents. And she investigates the ways that marriage choices and friendship relationships help people navigate the ongoing tangible difficulties engendered by socio-economic change. By delving into the intricacies of domestic lives amongst a growing middle class, Modern Dharma works to center the household and kinship relationships as the places where broader global transitions are reflected, resisted, and negotiated. Providing a new perspective on moral personhood in South Asia, this book ultimately sheds new light on the centrality of kinship relationships in initiating and shaping social change"--Publisher's description.

Book Synopsis

How middle-class families in Nepal pursue "well-being" in a rapidly changing social landscape

Modern Dharma asks how middle-class Nepalis pursue an ethical, good life in a rapidly evolving society. In the aftermath of a decade-long civil war that raged between 1996 and 2006, social change accelerated in Nepal as the shift to a market economy and the spread of education and media built the foundation for a new middle class to form. As it did, tension built between the expression of individual will and the expectation to submit to traditional social hierarchies. Today, people in Nepal are confronted by the need to restructure moral codes and to care for their families, while at the same time, they face intense pressure to keep up with the cost of education and to find work in an increasingly competitive labor market. Amidst these changes, people often describe their choices as falling under the broader goal of pursuing well-being.

Modern Dharma investigates how and why--amidst often conflicting priorities--people make choices in pursuit of well-being. Anthropologist Paola Tiné investigates why many large families separate into smaller nuclei, while others maintain intra-generational homes. She asks why and how young people seek the support of their friends, while often hiding private desires from their parents. And she investigates the ways that marriage choices and friendship relationships help people navigate the ongoing tangible difficulties engendered by socioeconomic change. By delving into the intricacies of domestic lives among a growing middle class, Modern Dharma works to center the household and kinship relationships as the places where broader global transitions are reflected, resisted, and negotiated. Providing a new perspective on moral personhood in South Asia, this book ultimately sheds new light on the centrality of kinship relationships in initiating and shaping social change.

Review Quotes

"A compelling study of the pressing challenges that the Kathmandu Valley's new and aspirational middle-class families face as they negotiate the moral basis of relations between self and family and self and society in a context of new capitalist logics."-- "Mark Liechty, University of Illinois Chicago"

About the Author

Paola Tiné is Lecturer in Cultural Anthropology in the School of Social and Cultural Studies at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.