CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2024
| Author | Manandhar, Subham |
|---|---|
| Title | The Practice of Culture: The Affective Dimension in Formulating National Desires for the Restitution of Repatriated Idols |
| Summary | A distinguishing feature of Nepali heritage and what I am terming practice of culture is the people’s affective connections to their Gods. This is epitomised by Nepali heritage restitution efforts, wherein communities, museums, and the state are actively encouraging the return of repatriated Gods back into the very communities and shrines from where they were taken. This is contradictory to Western conservation principles as these ancient artefacts are removed from secure museum infrastructure and reinstated into temples where they can be interacted with, admired and worshiped. I focus on the framework of the Guthi, or traditional socio-cultural organisations, through which these idols are preserved, maintained, restored and replenished. Through interviews with my grandfather, a prominent photographer and head of the Sincha Guthi, I conduct an oral history to analyse our ancient practices which have preserved inherited idols that date back to 1406 AD. These and other traditions, through which idols and statues are brought ‘alive’ and given personhood, instantiate and create an important affective dimension between the people and their heritage, which defines peoples’ relationship and outlook towards their heritage. I argue that the roles of contemporary museums—to protect, authenticate and ensure access to artefacts—are better fulfilled by the Nepali practice of culture, and that it is this affective dimension that has ushered in the uniquely Nepali approach to heritage restitution. |
| Supervisor | Carroll, Khadija Zinnenburg |
| Department | Undergraduate Studies BA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2024/manandhar_subham.pdf |
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