Discourse of Delusion: Representation of Nationalism in Panchayat Era School Textbooks

Abstract

This dissertation explores issue of Nepali nationalism through historical analysis critically examining its development all the way from Prithvinarayan Shah to Bhimsen Thapa toJunga Bahadur Rana to king Mahendra’s eras. The historical continuity is built up to set the background to critique Panchayat nationalism as it takes recourse to history in defining and creating its own version of nationalism reusing, recreating, galvanizing and—also misrepresenting—omitting some aspects of history while retaining and promoting less threatening contents and facts from it. In a way, Panchayat nationalism relies on repetition and narrativization of history. The study takes into account language, religion, cult of the crown, politics and education and state policies that guide these elements during the Panchayat era. The argument here is that Nepali nationalism from Prithvinarayan Shah’s unification drive to, by and large, the present day, is continuing to create the discourse of delusion by evoking ‘hate thy neighbor love thy nation’ attitude in the people in one way or the other. In the process, the discourse takes resort in evoking Hinduism, Nepali language and, during the Panchayat era, in institutionalizing the education policy through New Education System Plan of 1971, thus rendering the very idea of nationalism to be another form of state policies and state myths. During the Panchayat regime, in a drive to consolidate power, the state agencies projected grand narratives of nationalism. The study basically digs into school textbooks, besides touching on other Panchayat literature such as Panchayat constitution and sawais—which served as reliable means of disseminating nationalism across the nation—to analyze representation of nationalism of the Panchayat era.