Himalayan People's War: Nepal's Maoist Rebellion

This is a readable and high-quality book. It provides more information and insight on the most successful Marxist rebellion in South Asia's history than has previously been found within one set of covers. --David Gellner

The eruption of a violent Maoist insurgency in Nepal in the late 1990s was met with bewilderment even among many who claimed to know the country well. The so-called people's war was launched in 1996 by the Communist Party of Nepal to overthrow the political establishment, including the monarchy. Tactics have included killing members of rival parties as well as attacks on police stations, banks, and power installations. The indiscriminate nature of the government's military response has been widely criticized. In 2001, Nepal's political situation came to the attention of Western news media with the murders of members of the royal family. This book provides historical, social, and political background on the movement and related events in this ongoing struggle. The contributors examine the war's origins and antecedents, provide ethnographic accounts from rural and urban perspectives, and draw comparisons with other Maoist movements elsewhere in the world. Includes full text of key documents by the rebels and government.

Author: Michael Hutt
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 10/18/2004
Pages: 322
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780253217424

About the Author

Michael Hutt is Reader in Nepali and Himalayan Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.