Nationalism's Appropriation of Modernity in Anagarik and Maitighar
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Faculty Arts in English
Abstract
The present dissertation examines Maitighar and Anagarik, two Nepali films
representing the Nepali society from 60s and late 90s respectively, in terms of the
nationalism's appropriation of modernity and its impacts on the marginalized
indigenous languages, cultures and religions. After a meticulous study on both the
films in the light of various critics on nationalism and modernity, it becomes clear that
the monolithic Hill based Hindu state has manipulated different forces of modernity
like education, language, development, identity, and communication technology so as
to reinforce itself at the cost of the indigenous communities and their voices. Between
these two films, Maitighar illustrates the way monolithic nationalism based on the
religion, language and culture of the ruling ethnic community appropriates modernity
so as to sustain and reinforce itself in the long run whereas Anagarik illustrates the
devastating consequences of such practice of monolithic nationalism in the country
like Nepal, which consists of diverse ethnic communities with their own mother
tongues, cultures and religious practices. Likewise, it also manifests how these
marginalized indigenous communities respond to such imposition of the monolithic
nationalism.