Ethnicity, Gender and Nationalism: Political Debate over Citizenship through Naturalization (2008-2012)

This study is about a constitutional debate over citizenship provisions for foreign men and women within the context of writing a new constitution for Nepal. It focuses on the debate within the Constituent Assembly between 2008-2012 to show how the political context created intersections between gender, nationalism and ethnicity in claims made by those proposing equality on the basis of neutral treatment between men and women versus those proposing special privileges for (foreign) women. The debate in the real politik of Nepal has been a play of power in claims to representation. By adopting a principle of equality alongside a masculine subjectivity regarding interpretations of national or cultural belonging (either as a Nepali or Madhesi, respectively), hill caste/ethnic women (as well as men) have actively constituted Madhesi women (and men) as the Other. An intersectional method of analysis supports this argument since it reinforces the point that gender intersects with other subjectivities like ethnicity to create forms of oppression that are different in different contexts. However, the opposition between proponents of the women’s movement in Nepal (represented by hill women from hill-based political parties) and Madhesi women point at a denial of multiple subjectivities, needs and interests. The former’s claim to universal rights to equality has given them the legitimacy to frame their feminist agenda to serve their nationalist interest; while the latter’s claim to special protection for women under essentialist and patriarchal institutions of marriage have further complicated matters, stalling any formal consensus. Relevance to Development Studies This study will add to the already extensive feminist literature on gender and nation while providing insight into the comparatively less explored context of Nepal.