Guthi as a Performative Practice in Newari Culture with Reference to Jyapu Community Living in Kirtipur
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Department of English
Abstract
This thesis entitled “Guthi as a Performative Act in Newari Culture with Reference to Jyapu Community Living in Kirtipur” tends to highlight the traditional social organization being practiced by the Newar people of Kirtipur city since the ancient times. Kirtipur city has been chosen in the sense that it is inhabited mainly by the Jyapu castes of Newar people who are traditionally agriculturists according to the caste division formed during the 14th century. Guthi organization is a part of Newari culture. It is a performative act that performs on schedule at specific location and in remembering the past, maintaining cosmic order and cementing social relations within the Newar’s community. It performs a certain task which might be either social work or related to culture as to celebrate any festival or ritual work or to accomplish rituals related to a man especially at the time of death. It expresses particular Newari culture traits and maintains harmony within the Newar community providing a unique identity to them in Kirtipur. The essence of this research is to give value to this Guthi system in the present evolving modern world in relation to the influence of modernization. The crucial issue is related with the importance of traditional system and impact of modern activities to the traditional concept. The changes in cultural practices that are occurring these days have also been observed closely. Modernization is leading to the change of religious rituals and the whole Newar society towards a new dimension. So, basically these researches focuses on the issue of the essential point of reducing rampant, influences of modernity in the course of transforming the discriminatory and outdate cultural activities.
Key Words: Newar, Newari, Culture, Kirtipur, Jyapu, Modernization, Tradition