CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2017
| Author | Sharma, Sanjay |
|---|---|
| Title | Mere 'Mercenaries' to Equal Citizens: Political and Social Negotiations by Gurkhas in the UK |
| Summary | This thesis argues that the Gurkha soldiers hailing originally from Nepal who were treated in the British Army in the early nineteenth century as mere “mercenaries” have successfully re-embodied themselves as the new deserving British citizens after nearly 200 years of service. Because of their martial legacy, they are held much higher than the migrants seeking work or refuge in the UK. They are the characterization of the commonly held migrant-soldier dichotomy in one and portray the tension between “heroes” and “aliens.” The thesis uses ethnographic methods and secondary research to highlight that although the Gurkhas have had substantial amount of success at the political level through campaigning and litigation, they and their families continue to struggle in everyday social interactions in the British neighborhoods. The language related problems are the most prominent among others. As the elderly Gurkhas are visible in the UK societies because of their race and wardrobe, some of them try to perform like the locals to lessen their presence. The mobility of Gurkhas is highly gendered as the wives generally tag along with their husbands and have very little say about the place they want to live in or work they want to do. |
| Supervisor | Sgier, Lea and Gailani, Nadia Jones. |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2017/sharma_sanjay.pdf |
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