Discourse Analysis on Social Inclusion Narratives in Nepal's Bureaucracy

Abstract

This study explores the narratives surrounding social inclusion within Nepal's bureaucracy through a critical discourse analysis (CDA) framework, drawing on the theories of Michel Foucault, Norman Fairclough, and Teun A. van Dijk. The primary aim of this study was to examine how policy and legal frameworks influenced social inclusion practices within Nepal's bureaucratic structures. By analyzing official discourse, this research investigated how bureaucratic actors construct and interpret social inclusion policies and their implications for marginalized groups in Nepal, including women, ethnic minorities, and lower-caste communities. The study has applied the theory developed by Foucault who has focused on the ideas of power, knowledge, governmentality, and how social inclusion is constructed and regulated within state institutions. Foucault's notion of “regimes of practice” was useful in analyzing how bureaucratic actors internalize and reproduce certain discourses around social inclusion. Another theory developed by Fairclough who has discussed critical discourse analysis approach, focusing on how language constructs power relations and ideologies within institutional settings. Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework (text, discursive practice, and social practice) has helped to examine both the text of policy documents and the broader social practices that influence inclusion. Also van Dijk’s model of discourse as a representation of social cognition has been applied to understand the role of narratives in shaping public opinion and attitudes toward social inclusion, as well as how power and ideology are embedded in those narratives. Thus, utilizing Foucault's concepts of power and knowledge and governmentality, Fairclough’s three-dimensional approach to discourse, and van Dijk’s theory of ideological discourse, this study critically examined the role of discourse in shaping and reproducing power relations within bureaucratic settings. The analysis highlighted how bureaucratic actors, such as civil servants and policymakers, both reflect and challenge prevailing social hierarchies in their interpretations of inclusion policies. Additionally, the study delved into the influence of power dynamics within the bureaucracy, exploring how these dynamics impacted the development and implementation of social inclusion policies, as well as the broader societal implications of such policies.