Center for Asian Studies

India and Pakistan once again step back from the brink

Rachel Sauer — Fri, 16 May 2025 16:44:25 +0000

India and Pakistan once again step back from the brink Rachel Sauer Fri, 05/16/2025 - 10:44

Rachel Sauer

CU Boulder historian Lucy Chester notes that the recent tensions between the two nations, incited by the April 22 terrorist attack in Kashmir, are the latest in an ongoing cycle

When a gunman opened fire April 22 on domestic tourists in Pahalgam, a scenic Himalayan hill station in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 people, the attack ignited days of deadly drone attacks, airstrikes and shelling between India and Pakistan that escalated to a perilous brink last weekend.

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire Saturday evening diffused the mounting violence between the two nuclear-armed nations that increasingly seemed on a trajectory toward war. It was the latest in a string of escalations spanning many decades between India and Pakistan, which invariably led to the question: Why does this keep happening?

CU Boulder historian Lucy Chester notes that the recent conflict between India and Pakistan is part of a broader history that includes not only religion, but water, maps and territorial integrity.

Lucy Chester, an associate professor in the University of Colorado Boulder Department of History and the International Affairs Program, has studied the region and relations between the two nations for many years; her first book, Borders and Conflict in South Asia, explores the drawing of the boundary between India and Pakistan in 1947.

Despite President Donald Trump鈥檚 assertion that the origins of the conflict date back a thousand years, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 not the case,鈥� Chester says. 鈥淚 would say it鈥檚 mainly about Kashmir, with some additional issues at play this time around that changed the dynamics a bit.鈥�

When more than a century of British colonial rule of India ended in August 1947, the Indian subcontinent was divided into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan鈥攁 bloody, devastating event known as Partition. An estimated 15 million people were displaced and an estimated 1 to 2 million died as a result of violence, hunger, suicide or disease.

The first Indo-Pakistani war ignited two months after Partition, in October 1947, over the newly formed Pakistan鈥檚 fear that the Hindu maharaja of the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu would align with India. The Indo-Pakistani wars of 1965 and 1971 and the the Kargil War of 1999 followed, as well as other conflicts, standoffs and skirmishes.

Chester addressed these and other issues in a recent conversation with Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine.

Question: These decades of conflict are often framed as Hindu-Muslim conflict; is that not the case?

Chester: There鈥檚 an older dynamic of Hindu-Muslim tension that definitely plays a role in this, but a significant aspect of the conflict over Kashmir is a conflict over water, which is really important. It has to do specifically with Kashmir鈥檚 geopolitical position and how a lot of the water that is important to India, that flows through India into Pakistan, originates in Kashmir.

It was a lot about popular pressure this time鈥擧indu nationalist pressure鈥攐n (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi, which is a dynamic that he has very much contributed to. So, in that sense, it could be framed as Hindu-Muslim tension.

But it鈥檚 also about territorial integrity鈥攖hat鈥檚 a phrase that kept coming up鈥攁nd it鈥檚 a very loaded phrase that does go back to 1947 and the kinds of nations that India and Pakistan were conceived of in the 1940s and the kinds of national concerns they鈥檝e developed in the years since.

Question: What role did Hindu nationalism, which has been very much in the news since Modi鈥檚 re-election last year, play in this recent conflict?

Chester: Hindu nationalism has been important in South Asia since the late 19th century, certainly, and it鈥檚 become more important since the 1930s. It鈥檚 one strand of the larger Indian nationalist movement鈥擨ndian nationalism was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. So, it鈥檚 always been there, but Modi, of course, has really ramped it up. For a while he distanced himself from the BJP (the Bharatiya Janata Party political party associated with Hindu nationalism), but he鈥檚 since made it very clear that he is very much in line with Hindu nationalist ideals and played on those symbols and those dynamics centered to what Hindu nationalist voters wanted.

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi addresses the media about Operation Sindoor at the National Media Centre in New Delhi May 7, 2025. (Photo: Government of India Ministry of Defence)

This whole idea of Hinduness gets back to the various ways both India and Pakistan are conceived of as nations. Hindutva (a political ideology justifying a Hindu hegemony in India) conceives India as a fundamentally Hindu nation, and that idea has gotten so much more reinforcement from Modi and the national government over last 10 years. So, part of what happened with this awful terrorist massacre two weeks ago is that it created a lot of pressure on Modi to respond in a way that previous Indian administrations haven鈥檛 felt they had to respond.

Question: In the recent conflict, India accused Pakistan of perpetrating the attack, which Pakistan denied, and framed the response as a defense of 鈥楳other India.鈥� What does that mean?

Chester: Sumathi Ramaswamy explained it best in her book (The Goddess and the Nation: Mapping Mother India), where she talks about Mother India as this cartographed divine female figure who鈥檚 very much identified with the cartographic body of the nation. So, any attack on the territorial integrity (of India) is an attack on this woman, this mother figure.

The (recent) Indian Operation was called Operation Sindoor鈥攕indoor is the red coloring that married Hindu woman put in the part of their hair鈥攁 call-out to this idea of Mother India and a call to the nation鈥檚 sons to be willing to die for her or to kill for her in this case.

In 1947, with the Partition of British India into India and Pakistan, the conception for many in India was a really tragic carving up of the body of the nation, and for a number of Hindu nationalists, that was a specifically female body. For a lot of people in India to this day, the 1947 Partition is this massive failure and an amputation of key elements of the national body. On the other side in Pakistan, for many it鈥檚 this great narrative of victory, but on the Indian side there鈥檚 this recurring existential fear that further parts of the country could be carved off this way. I think a big part of why conflict keeps happening is that both sides feel very strongly about defending the national territory because it was torn apart in such a violent way, and I think that fear is just most vividly present in Kashmir.

Question: How does the history of Kashmir in terms of British rule and Partition come into play?

Chester: In terms of British India, there were areas that were directly ruled and areas that were indirectly ruled. The indirectly ruled areas were princely ruled, and this is important because Kashmir was a princely state with a Hindu maharaja and a majority-Muslim population. With princely states, in theory they could decide for themselves whether to accede to India or Pakistan, and the maharaja of Kashmir, most would say he was angling for some kind of autonomy or independence and delayed the decision on whether to accede to India or Pakistan.

In October of 1947, militia groups鈥攁lmost certainly supported by Pakistan鈥攊nvaded Kashmir and the maharaja appealed to India for help. India airlifted troops in, because there was no all-weather road efficient for deploying troops, which gives you a sense for both how remote Kashmir was and parts of it still are, and also that there weren鈥檛 a lot of infrastructure connections.

So, the first Indo-Pakistan war was in 1947 to 1948, then a second war in 1965 and a third in 1971. This reinforces that fear of the country fragmenting and losing parts of the national body, because it was after the 1971 war that Bangladesh became independent (from Pakistan).

In 1949, India and Pakistan established a Ceasefire Line that became the Line of Control in 1972 with the Simla Agreement. The Line of Control is significant because it鈥檚 treated as an international boundary鈥攏ot de jure (existing by law or officially recognized), but de facto. In 1972, officials came up with a textual description for the Line of Control and they define it up to NJ9842, which is the northernmost point on the map where it ends. The text of treaty says something like, 鈥淧roceed thence north to the glaciers.鈥� This territory is so remote, so geopolitically useless, that no one at the time thought spending time to define where boundary line ran was important.

In the mid-1980s, both India and Pakistan sent troops to the Siachen Glacier, creating one of the highest more-or-less permanent military bases at about 22,000 feet. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

So, north of NJ9842 is this really undefined area鈥攜ou鈥檝e got Pakistan-controlled territory, India-controlled territory, China is right there, the Karakoram Pass is right there. What happened in the late 1970s, and possibly earlier even into the late 1960s, was Pakistan began issuing permits to international climbing expeditions, and in the early 1980s Indian troops discovered evidence of these international climbing expeditions. India realized that Pakistan had been exercising a certain form of administrative control over this undefined territory, and that鈥檚 what triggered the mid-1980s sending of troops from India and Pakistan to the Siachen Glacier. It includes what I think is the highest more-or-less permanent military base at something like 22,000 feet.

As a map geek, I find it really interesting that maps have contributed in pretty direct ways to these conflicts. One of the really tragic elements is that we know that on the Indian side, 97% of conflict casualties in that area are due to terrain and weather, and we can assume similar numbers on the Pakistani side. You鈥檝e got these two countries fighting this battle, but they鈥檙e also fighting Mother Nature. In fact, the 1999 Kargil War happened because Pakistan tried to move some of its troops to a higher altitude where they could overlook an Indian road that supplied these high-altitude posts.

Question: What role did water play in the recent conflict?

Chester: All of the water that feeds the rivers that run downstream into western India and Pakistan originates in that region, which gives it real geopolitical value. One of the things that had me particularly concerned this time was India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty from 1960, which was a really landmark agreement governing the sharing of these waters. Some of these rivers flow through India before they get to Pakistan, and at this point India doesn鈥檛 have the infrastructure to turn off the water. But Pakistan has said if India starts building that infrastructure, they will consider it an act of war.

Question: Is there anything that makes you feel even slightly hopeful amid these ongoing tensions?

Chester: Over the last two weeks, both sides have been very carefully walking this fine line between being very visibly seen to acknowledge popular pressure on them to stand up strongly to their adversary, but also making very carefully planned choices that as far as possible avoided uncontrollable escalation. Everyone is keenly aware these are both nuclear-armed powers. I was very concerned that it escalated as much as it did on both sides, particularly in the use of airstrikes, but I think both sides were doing their best to leave themselves and their adversaries an off-ramp.

Part of the significance of (the Kargil War in) 1999 was both sides had just come out of the nuclear closet, so everyone was watching that conflict very closely, but both sides were able to walk back from edge. That gives us a lot of reason to hope and to believe that there are very professional people on both sides鈥攊n addition to people who are whipping up popular frenzy鈥攚ho have a good sense for what the limits are, what signals they can send, and who are saying to the population, 鈥淲e listen to you, we respect your grievances,鈥� but they also know where the edge is and aren鈥檛 crossing it.

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CU Boulder historian Lucy Chester notes that the recent tensions between the two nations, incited by the April 22 terrorist attack in Kashmir, are the latest in an ongoing cycle.

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William Wei is again named Colorado鈥檚 state historian

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 14:43:11 +0000

William Wei is again named Colorado鈥檚 state historian Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/23/2024 - 08:43

Adamari Ruelas

CU Boulder historian serving second term in position, focusing on an accurate and comprehensive portrayal of Colorado鈥檚 history

William Wei, a University of Colorado Boulder professor of history and faculty affliate in the Center for Asian Studies, has been named state historian by History Colorado, his second time receiving the honor.

William Wei, CU Boulder professor of history and Colorado state historian, is the author of Asians in Colorado: A History of Persecution and Perseverance in the Centennial State.

Wei was one of the five founders of History Colorado鈥檚 State Historian鈥檚 Council, which 鈥渞eaches across the state to aid in the interpretation of the history of Colorado and the West, providing opportunities to expand the understanding of the historical perspectives, cultures and places of Colorado.鈥�

The State Historian鈥檚 Council was founded in 2018 and comprises five interdisciplinary scholars who provide complementary perspectives and rotate the state historian position every year on Aug.1, Colorado Day. Wei鈥檚 first term as state historian was from 2019-2020.

"It is a great honor to be appointed the Colorado state historian again,鈥� Wei says. 鈥淚 remain committed to ensuring that Coloradans receive an accurate and comprehensive portrayal of the Centennial State's history. This commitment naturally extends to Colorado's marginalized communities, whose stories have often been neglected, overlooked and forgotten.鈥�

Wei was named the 2022 Asian American Hero of Colorado and is the author of Asians in Colorado: A History of Persecution and Perseverance in the Centennial State. He also was a founding editor-in-chief of History Colorado鈥檚 Colorado Encyclopedia and a lead advisor for the organization鈥檚 Zoom In: The Centennial State in 100 Objects.

鈥淲illiam brings a broad global perspective alongside an encyclopedic interest in Colorado to the role of State Historian,鈥� notes Jason Hanson, chief creative officer and director of interpretation and research at History Colorado, in announcing Wei鈥檚 second term. 鈥淗e is passionate about how historical perspective can help us see the present more clearly and in ways that can truly improve people鈥檚 lives. I am excited for him to share his knowledge and passion with the people of Colorado as the state historian once again.鈥�

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CU Boulder historian serving second term in position, focusing on an accurate and comprehensive portrayal of Colorado鈥檚 history.

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Balancing yoga traditions with modern wellness requires flexibility

Anonymous — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 20:28:37 +0000

Balancing yoga traditions with modern wellness requires flexibility Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/20/2024 - 14:28

Cody DeBos

CU Boulder scholar Loriliai Biernacki reflects on the differences between ancient yoga and yoga as it鈥檚 practiced today during Yoga Awareness Month

As yoga enthusiasts across the country celebrate Yoga Awareness Month in September, it鈥檚 difficult to ignore how much the practice has evolved鈥攅specially in the West. Yoga, born as a spiritual and meditative practice rooted in centuries-old Indian traditions, has become a global phenomenon often centered on physical health and wellness.

A 2022 study by the Centers for Disease Control found that almost 17% of U.S. adults 18 or older had practiced yoga in the preceding 12 months, and about 57% of those who did incorporated meditation into their practice.

But even when it incorporates meditation and other mindfulness practices, how closely does modern yoga resemble the practice that was born millennia ago in India? Loriliai Biernacki, a University of Colorado Boulder professor of religious studies who teaches a course called Yoga: Ancient and Modern, notes that what is taught in studios now may bear varying degrees of resemblance to yoga鈥檚 origins.

Loriliai Biernacki, a CU Boulder professor of religious studies, notes that what is taught in studios now may bear varying degrees of resemblance to yoga鈥檚 origins.

Mental mastery to physical wellness

Yoga鈥檚 traditional roots go far beyond the stretches and poses seen in most local studios and fitness centers today. According to Biernacki, the earliest yoga practitioners focused on mental mastery and spiritual growth. Historical documents also point to beliefs that accomplished 鈥測ogis鈥� could acquire magical powers to read another person鈥檚 mind or transform objects.

鈥淭he goals are essentially what we might think of as enlightenment,鈥� Biernacki explains, 鈥渨ith the terms 鈥榤ok峁a,鈥� 鈥榢aivalya,鈥� and 鈥榥irv膩峁嘺,鈥欌€� which are Sanskrit words that describe yoga鈥檚 founding ideals of liberation, detachment and karmic release.

In its original context, yoga emphasized learning to control the mind and finding peace rather than achieving physical fitness.

As described in the Sir Edward Arnold translation of the Bhagavad Gita, the yogi is one who:

Sequestered should he sit,
Steadfastly meditating, solitary,
His thoughts controlled, his passions laid away,
Quit of belongings. In a fair, still spot
Having his fixed abode,--not too much raised,
Nor yet too low,--let him abide, his goods
A cloth, a deerskin, and the Kusa-grass.
There, setting hard his mind upon The One,
Restraining heart and senses, silent, calm,
Let him accomplish Yoga, and achieve
Pureness of soul, holding immovable
Body and neck and head鈥�

However, modern yoga, especially as practiced in the West, has shifted its priorities.

鈥淵oga practice today is very much focused on bodily health if one goes to a studio to practice yoga,鈥� Biernacki notes. Poses, or 膩sanas, are now central to most yoga classes, and the practice is commonly associated with physical wellness, flexibility and relaxation.

鈥溎€sana is not something we find in yoga as a practice in the early part of the first millennium, but by about the 12th century or so, we do begin to see an incursion of emphasis on a variety of different bodily postures in the practice of yoga,鈥� Biernacki explains.

This shift is no accident. Commercialization has played a significant role in transforming yoga from a spiritual journey into a global wellness trend. Biernacki points to the influence of marketing and the rise of yoga as a booming industry as key factors driving this shift.

鈥淥f course, commercialization has played an outsized role. A great resource on this score is Andrea Jain鈥檚 book on yoga transformation in the modern period, Selling Yoga,鈥� she says.

While physical health is undoubtedly valuable, evolving goals raise the question of whether modern yoga has strayed too far from its roots. The answer may lie in how individuals choose to practice yoga and whether there is room to reconnect with its original mental and spiritual aspects, Biernacki says.

The Pashupati Seal, dated to about 2500 BCE and discovered in 1928 in the Mohenjo-daro area of what is now Pakistan, is considered one of the first yogic depictions. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Appropriation or evolution?

As yoga鈥檚 popularity has grown in the West, so too have discussions around cultural appropriation. Some question whether certain modern adaptations of yoga鈥攖hose that have been commercialized or stripped of their spiritual components鈥攄isrespect the practice鈥檚 origins.

Biernacki says she believes the issue isn鈥檛 black and white: 鈥淚t鈥檚 probably a mix of cultural appropriation and some modicum of paying homage to the insight and wisdom that we find in these traditions of yoga.鈥�

On one hand, the commercialization of yoga can lead to a superficial understanding of a practice with centuries of spiritual depth, she says. Western yoga classes and studio branding may use terms like namaste or chakra without studying their spiritual significance.

On the other hand, Biernacki notes that some modern yoga instructors do attempt to preserve the roots of the practice. 鈥淚 do find it interesting that there are a number of teachers who are, in fact, emphasizing connecting yoga with its literary roots in a way that does take the history of yoga seriously,鈥� she says. 鈥淓specially popular is the classic text 鈥楶ata帽jali鈥檚 Yoga S奴tra,鈥� which is keyed into yoga as a way of mastering the mind.鈥�

Ultimately, the question of cultural appropriation depends on how individuals and studios approach the practice, Biernacki says. For some, yoga may be a mindful homage that embraces historical context while adapting to modern needs. For others, yoga may simply be a brand or a lifestyle with beautiful aesthetics.

Balancing act

As yoga continues to evolve, it鈥檚 unclear whether modern adaptations will dominate or if instructors and practitioners alike will seek a return to its traditional roots. Biernacki suggests that both trends will likely coexist.

鈥淚 suspect that traditional practices will probably be more popular, but there will be some modern adaptations,鈥� she says.

This resurgence echoes a broader cultural shift towards mindfulness, as an ever-growing body of research supports the benefits of yoga for conditions ranging from depression to back pain to cancer.

The rise of interest in traditional practices could signal a desire to reconnect with yoga鈥檚 deeper spiritual roots. Biernacki points out that many instructors already strive to bring these philosophies into their practice and remind students that yoga is about more than just physical postures.

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CU Boulder scholar Loriliai Biernacki reflects on the differences between ancient yoga and yoga as it鈥檚 practiced today during Yoga Awareness Month.

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Pursuing long-awaited justice for victims of Nepal's 'People's War'

Anonymous — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 17:59:39 +0000

Pursuing long-awaited justice for victims of Nepal's 'People's War' Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/20/2024 - 11:59

Tracy Fehr

Nepal鈥檚 revamped truth commissions will need to go beyond 鈥榬itualism鈥� to deliver justice to civil war victims

Nepal鈥檚 attempt to deliver justice and accountability following the country鈥檚 decade-long civil war froze more than two years ago with little progress鈥攂ut a recent development has raised hopes that it could soon be revived and revamped.

In August 2024, the country鈥檚 parliament passed a long-awaited bill that sets the stage for appointing a third 鈥攁nd hopefully final鈥攔ound of truth commissions to carry out investigations into the more than 66,000 conflict victim cases that have been collecting dust since the last commissions ended in July 2022.

The two main bodies involved鈥攖he Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons鈥攚ere created by Nepal鈥檚 government in 2015 to deal with crimes that were committed during Nepal鈥檚 conflict, commonly known as 鈥淭he People鈥檚 War.鈥�

Tracy Fehr (right, with a woman living in Gorkha, Nepal) is a PhD student in the CU Boulder Department of Sociology who researches Nepal's transitional justice process. (Photo: Tracy Fehr)

In 1996, Maoist rebels began an insurgency against the Nepali government in western Nepal that escalated into a 10-year civil war across the country. According to United Nations estimates, the conflict resulted in the deaths of 13,000, with 1,300 people still missing and an unknown number of torture and conflict-related sexual violence victims.

The People鈥檚 War ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord that, among other obligations, required the Nepal government to create a high-level truth commission.

To date, the commissions have completed two rounds. The first, which collected the majority of the victim cases, began with a two-year mandate in 2015 that the government extended by an additional year three times. The second round, mandated from 2020 to 2022, was shut down for months due to COVID-19.

The commissions were tasked with three main objectives: to reveal the truth about gross human rights violations; to create an environment of peace, trust and reconciliation; and to make legal recommendations for victim reparations and perpetrators from the conflict.

However, despite seven years of work, little progress toward any of these objectives has been made. No case investigations have been completed, no perpetrators have been held accountable, and no victim reparations have been distributed. Reconciliation in a country that still bears the scars of conflict remains a distant thought.

From 2022 to 2023, I conducted research in Nepal about the country鈥檚 transitional justice process. During my research, I heard people refer to Nepal鈥檚 prolonged process as 鈥渁 judicial merry-go-round,鈥� 鈥淕roundhog Day鈥� and 鈥�transitional injustice.鈥�

Many Nepali people I spoke to believe that the government has strategically prolonged the transitional justice process to avoid accountability, hoping that people will eventually tire of the process and forget. Indeed, a heavy cloud of hopelessness and frustration had settled over the commissions as legal and resource limitations and political biases plagued the first two rounds, severely slowing progress and impairing the commissions鈥� functionality and local trust.

Justice 鈥榓djourned鈥�

In 2022, I interviewed a conflict victim in the rolling hills of Rolpa, in the country鈥檚 west, where the conflict began. She had submitted her case to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission seven years before but had heard nothing since. 鈥淚n a way, our complaints are in adjournment,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey have not ended, yet they are not being forwarded either.鈥�

She was one of approximately 300 women who officially submitted a case of conflict-related sexual violence to the TRC.

A woman looks over the village of Thabang, Rolpa, Nepal. (Photo: Tracy Fehr)

However, a former truth commissioner told me that this number may be as high as 1,000 because some victims of sexual violence submitted their case as 鈥渢orture鈥� to distance themselves from the stigma and shame often associated with sexual violence in Nepal.

I also met leaders at several women鈥檚 organizations who have documented thousands of cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Nepal, but they have not yet submitted these cases to the TRC due to ongoing concerns of confidentiality and trust.

The lack of progress by Nepal鈥檚 truth commissions suggests that they are being used to carry out what I refer to as 鈥渢ransitional justice ritualism鈥濃€攖he act of a state creating hollow institutions designed without the support to produce actual consequences.

As part of this transitional justice ritualism, I believe that Nepal鈥檚 post-conflict coalition government has, up to this point, been using the truth commissions as a political tool to show the international community that it is upholding its obligations under the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Accord and to avoid universal jurisdiction鈥攖hat is, the international legal principal that allows other nations to prosecute individuals for serious human rights violations regardless of where the crimes took place.

The threat of universal jurisdiction has been a particular concern for alleged perpetrators in Nepal since 2013 when Colonel Kumar Lama, a former Royal Nepal Army commander during Nepal鈥檚 conflict, was apprehended in the United Kingdom on charges of torture and war crimes. While Lama was acquitted there due to a lack of evidence, the threat of universal jurisdiction for war crimes perpetrators in Nepal still looms for those in positions of power during the civil war.

A contested step forward

But a recent change in the political leadership of Nepal and the passing of the new law, which amended the Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, mark an opportunity for the government to move beyond transitional justice lip service.

Under the amended law, a third round of appointed commissioners will operate for a period of four years 鈥� hopefully enough time to complete their unaccomplished mandates. A government committee is working to appoint new truth commissioners before the country鈥檚 major holiday Dashain in October 2024. The amended act also provides for creating specialized subunits within the TRC鈥攃oncerning truth-seeking and investigations, reparations, sexual violence and rape, and victims coordination鈥攖hat could potentially improve the streamlining of resources and move some of these stalled parts of the commissions forward.

Maoist victims protest in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2023. (Photo: Tracy Fehr)

Nonetheless, hope has been tempered by apprehension and uncertainty. Some victim groups support the legislation, while others protest provisions they argue could undermine justice, especially by protecting perpetrators with decreased sentencing.

International human rights groups have recognized positive and long-awaited amendments to the existing law, but also warn of serious accountability gaps that could undermine the transitional justice process.

U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker T眉rk said the revised law was 鈥渁n important step forward鈥� but added: 鈥淚t is imperative that the legislation is interpreted and implemented in a manner that upholds victims鈥� rights, including to truth, justice and reparations, and that guarantees accountability in full compliance with international human rights standards.鈥�

Potential for international support

Although it seems the transitional justice process will still be Nepali-led, doors may be opening for international support in the form of financial or technical assistance鈥攎arking a significant shift in the process.

The amended act provides for a 鈥渇und鈥� to finance the investigations process and victim reparations that will be supported by the Nepali government and is open to contributions from other national and international organizations.

Sushil Pyakurel, a former member of Nepal鈥檚 National Human Rights Commission, is among a group of human rights defenders, lawyers and victims establishing a civil monitoring committee to serve as a watchdog for the revived process. Pyakurel stressed the need for Nepali civil society, alongside the international community, to pressure the government to fulfill its promises of a victim-centric implementation.

鈥淵ou can make whatever law you want, but it is how you implement it that really matters,鈥� Pyakurel told me. 鈥淎lthough the law is different, if the mentality remains the same, then nothing will change.鈥�

The revival of Nepal鈥檚 truth commissions provides the government a chance to demonstrate a commitment to a transparent and legitimate process. But I believe it must move beyond the transitional justice ritualism of the previous two commissions to actually provide justice and acknowledgment for the country鈥檚 civil war victims.

Top image: A Nepali man looks at photographs of people 'disappeared' during Nepal's civil war in Kathmandu Aug. 30, 2017. (Photo: Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

Tracy Fehr is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Nepal鈥檚 revamped truth commissions will need to go beyond 鈥榬itualism鈥� to deliver justice to civil war victims.

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Preserving culture by learning an endangered language

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 18:32:19 +0000

Preserving culture by learning an endangered language Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/10/2023 - 12:32

An online beginning Tibetan language course offered at CU Boulder allows learners worldwide to access contemporary resources for a less-frequently taught language

A new University of Colorado Boulder online language class is aiming to preserve an endangered language and create access to an important aspect of culture and identity.

Beginning Tibetan is the result of a collaboration between the Anderson Language and Technology Center (ALTEC) and the Center for Asian Studies (CAS), and the work of Tenzin Tsepak, a teaching professor of Tibetan in the CAS, and Maggie Rosenau, an ALTEC lecturer of German and learning design expert.

Drawing on Rosenau鈥檚 experience creating open educational resources and Tsepak鈥檚 expertise in Tibetan and Himalayan studies, the collaborators began designing the free online course in 2021. A significant goal was to create a Tibetan language course highlighting the language鈥檚 rich history and cultural significance, as well as addressing issues of accessibility and quality educational resources.

鈥淢ost of the resources out there and pedagogical tools for Tibetan that we have now are very traditional, like old-school textbooks and audio recordings that have not been updated for decades,鈥� Tsepak says. 鈥淭here is certainly nothing really digitally interactive out there for Tibetan language learners.

Tenzin Tsepak contributed expertise in Tibetan and Himalayan studies to developing the online Beginning Tibetan language class.

鈥淎nd these traditional materials focus mostly on reading and producing one-to-one written translation, not other skills like conversational listening and personal, verbal expression. So now, with this course, we have really interactive materials for students. Learners now have an online tool to better engage with the language. This is very new for Tibetan.鈥�

Contemporary resources for language learning

Studying endangered and less-commonly taught languages is important for both understanding how languages grow and develop and for preserving the native languages of those who speak them. Since the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959, enabling access to the Tibetan language has been an important way to protect and preserve Tibetan culture and identity.

鈥淭here are wonderful organizations, institutions and individual educators out there offering important cultural history and language resources,鈥� Rosenau says. 鈥淲e have included and credited some of these in the course build鈥攍ike the Tibetan and Himalayan Library, which is a collection hosted by the University of Virginia Library; the Tibet Film Festival in Switzerland; and the Tibetan Equality Project out of the New York/New Jersey area.

鈥淏ut during my initial research to understand what is available for learners, what really stood out was a gap in contemporary multi-modality we could fill. So, this became a priority within the scaffolding, and I asked a lot of Tsepak for this project. His family even generously contributed to many of our listening dialogue activities. And I have to give a big shout-out and thank you to Tsepak鈥檚 spring 2023 first- and second-year students, who contributed blog posts to the unit dedicated to traditional holidays and festivals.鈥�

Creating the Beginning Tibetan course was one of the goals supported by a 2020-2023 Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant was awarded to Tim Oakes, a professor in the Department of Geography, and Danielle Rocheleau Salaz, executive director of CAS, in partnership with ALTEC and Director Susanna P脿mies, as well as the departments of anthropology, geography and religious studies.

The grant provides funds to plan, develop and carry out programs to strengthen and improve undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign languages. It also supports the Tibet Himalaya Initiative, an interdisciplinary hub for research, teaching and public engagement on Tibet and the Himalayas. The center also offers scholarship opportunities for Tibetan and Nepali summer language study and supports Directed Independent Language Study in Tibetan and Nepali through ALTEC.

A worldwide resource

The Beginning Tibetan course is self-paced and includes modules on Tibetan sounds and basic grammar, greetings and introductions, communities, weather, clothing, foods, hospitality, travel, directions, festivals, holidays and customs. It also includes a broad collection of resources including dictionaries, archives, maps, short films, a podcast, social justice organizations and music.

Maggie Rosenau is a learning design expert who will give an online faculty workshop Nov. 7 about the H5P learning platform.

鈥淭raditional textbooks focus just on grammar and maybe a few cultural elements that logically connect to vocabulary,鈥� Tsepak says. 鈥淏ut now, I feel like this new course is like a mandala, you know? We have basically everything circling around this package鈥攊nteractive learning that is really modern and engaging. And there are amazing, authentic images, contemporary culture, representations of the Tibetan diaspora, music, local Tibetan restaurants in Boulder, trans and queer representation and non-binary language elements. Our goal is to better engage our students and make the process of language learning much more fun and inclusive.鈥�

One of the course鈥檚 innovative technological features is H5P, integrated on the Canvas learning platform, which helps make the content interactive by providing instant and automatic feedback to users, an essential aspect of effective language learning. Also, as an open-source tool, the H5P content can easily be shared, reused and adapted by others, making it a cost-free resource for interactive online learning.

鈥淏uilding in Canvas and (open educational resources) for language learning is my love language,鈥� Rosenau says. 鈥淚鈥檓 especially excited about all the H5P elements built into this resource. My hope is that instructors of Tibetan around the globe will use these materials by integrating the vocab cards, audio recordings and interactive grammar activities into their own educational platforms.鈥�

ALTEC will host an online faculty workshop with Rosenau on H5P at 1 p.m. Nov. 7, as well as a roundtable discussion focusing on less commonly taught languages and language acquisition next spring.

Rosenau and Tsepak鈥檚 collaborative project offers learners worldwide the opportunity to delve into the Tibetan language and culture and underscores the importance of making less commonly taught languages accessible and available. The Beginning Tibetan course is free and can serve as a supplement to other Tibetan courses or as a stand-alone course.

While the course is not comprehensive, it is a valuable first step in providing more contemporary resources for Tibetan language learning. 鈥淚t is just a start,鈥� says Tsepak, 鈥渁nd if we have the opportunity to expand the project, then we would love that.鈥�

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An online beginning Tibetan language course offered at CU Boulder allows learners worldwide to access contemporary resources for a less-frequently taught language.

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Center for Asian Studies wins $2.2 million to help 鈥榤ake Asia accessible鈥� for Coloradans

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 17:03:32 +0000

Center for Asian Studies wins $2.2 million to help 鈥榤ake Asia accessible鈥� for Coloradans Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/17/2022 - 11:03

Funding from U.S. Department of Education helps center realize its mission in 鈥榝undamental and transformative ways,鈥� interim director says

The Center for Asian Studies has won $2.2 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education to support its role as a National Resource Center in Asian Studies and to provide Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships for students at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Timothy Oakes, interim faculty director of the center, noted that the award supports one of the center鈥檚 primary missions: to make Asia as accessible as possible to the whole CU Boulder community.

鈥淭his funding helps us realize that mission in fundamental and transformative ways,鈥� Oakes said.

FLAS fellowships fund the study of Asian languages and area studies both on the Boulder campus during the academic year and in Asia during the summer. The National Resource Center funding will also support several existing and future initiatives that seek to make Asian area studies more available to students and faculty from all corners of the university, as well as across the broader Front Range region, he said.

We seem to be experiencing a time in the United States where suspicion of global connections, rising nativist populism and fear of challenges to an older world order are on the rise. We believe that this is a crucial time in which international area studies education is more important than ever."

Those initiatives include expanding the existing Asia Internship Program and the Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum program. The funding will also support the following:

Instruction of Arabic culture and civilization in the Asian Languages and Civilizations Department;
Tibetan language learning in the Anderson Language Technology Center;
Collaboration with the College of Engineering to develop an innovative 鈥淐limate and Society in Asia鈥� curriculum;
Curricular partnerships with Metropolitan State University of Denver and with CU Denver鈥檚 Institute for International Business;
Professional development seminars and programs for K-12 educators; and
Curricular development grants for faculty to expand Asia-related teaching throughout the university.

Oakes noted that winning National Resource Center support is significant 鈥渁nd would not have been possible without the efforts and time of numerous individuals,鈥� specifically highlighting the contributions of the center鈥檚 Faculty Director Rachel Rinaldo (now on sabbatical in Indonesia) and Executive Director Danielle Rocheleau Salaz, among many others.

鈥淲ith this funding, the Center for Asian Studies will remain a vibrant, active and impactful center for interdisciplinary area studies on the CU Boulder campus,鈥� Oakes said, adding that the center鈥檚 efforts are also aimed at helping to carve out a 鈥渓arger space on campus where other area studies centers can grow and thrive.鈥�

Those include the Latin American and Latinx Studies Center, the Mediterranean Studies Group, the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies, and the recently established Center for African and African American Studies.

He added: 鈥淭hese days, we seem to be experiencing a time in the United States where suspicion of global connections, rising nativist populism and fear of challenges to an older world order are on the rise. We believe that this is a crucial time in which international area studies education is more important than ever.鈥�

Funding from U.S. Department of Education helps center realize its mission in 鈥榝undamental and transformative ways,鈥� interim director says.

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Experts to discuss Afghanistan鈥檚 future after U.S. withdrawal

Anonymous — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 20:53:48 +0000

Experts to discuss Afghanistan鈥檚 future after U.S. withdrawal Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/14/2021 - 14:53

The event, which is hosted by the Center for Asian Studies, seeks to figure out what鈥檚 next for the trauma-stricken country.

When the United States withdrew from Afghanistan on Aug. 30, there was a lot of conversation about what that meant for the country鈥攁nd the people left behind. An upcoming event at the University of Colorado Boulder, though, hopes to provide some insight.

The event, Afghanistan, the United States Departure and the Taliban Takeover: Experiences and Perspectives, will take place Oct. 8th at 4 p.m. and will feature speakers that will speak to their own experiences of United States engagements in Afghanistan, the evacuation efforts and the realities of Taliban rule.

Event Details

Afghanistan, the United States Departure and the Taliban Takeover: Experiences and Perspectives

Date: October 18th

Time: 4 p.m.

鈥淚 think the withdrawal of troops was not handled well, meaning there was no real plan for how to protect our Afghan allies or to help people effectively and efficiently evacuate from the country. Many are still left behind who are currently under threat,鈥� said Jennifer Fluri, one of the event's speakers and a professor of geography at CU Boulder.

鈥淭his event is significant because it will provide an opportunity for people to hear a more in-depth overview and understanding of Afghanistan, above and beyond current media reports.鈥�

You can register for the event, which will be capped out at 300 participants, at this Zoom registration link.

The four speakers include:

Fluri is a feminist political geographer concentrating on conflict, security, and aid or development in South and Southwest Asia. Fluri is particularly interested in understanding the spatial organization and corporeal representations and experiences of individuals and groups working and living within conflict zones.

Sayeed Naqibullah
Title: Living under Taliban Rule
Bio: Sayeed Naqibullah was born and raised in Afghanistan. He has worked with expats in Afghanistan and now lives in Colorado.

Zareen Taj
Title: The Fate of Ethnic Minorities under Taliban Rule
Bio: Zareen Taj is a women鈥檚 rights and human rights activist. She is currently a PhD student at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Zalad Ahmad
Title: Now What? The Economics of being an Afghan woman in today鈥檚 Afghanistan
Bio: Zalad Ahmad, founder of HOLD, and Afghan NGO, has over 15 years of experience working in the field of international development, with a focus on education, human rights, and economic development. She is a research associate in the Department of Geography at CU Boulder.

This event is sponsored by the Center for Asian Studies, and the Departments of Geography, History, Women and Gender Studies, Sociology and Anthropology, the International Affairs Program, and International Business Circle.

The event, which is hosted by the Center for Asian Studies, seeks to figure out what鈥檚 next for the trauma-stricken country.

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With new scholar, center's ready to launch Tibetan and Himalayan certificate

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 19:12:37 +0000

With new scholar, center's ready to launch Tibetan and Himalayan certificate Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/24/2021 - 13:12

Nicolette Edwards

With the help of a new scholar, the Center for Asian Studies is launching a program that looks to educate students about this politically fraught region

The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the top research programs in the country in Tibet and Himalayan Studies, but 颅undergraduate students have been unable to pursue a directed course of study in that field鈥攂ut scholars are working to change that.

On Sept. 28, 2020, the department received an Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages (UISFL) grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the next two years. The grant supports efforts in the Center for Asian Studies to create a new certificate program in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. With the expansion of the curriculum, a new instructor position opened, which led new Asian Studies instructor Tenzin Tsepak to the University of Colorado Boulder.

At the top of the page: Gate of Prayers, Tibet. Photo by Daniele Salutari on Unsplash. Above: Tenzin Tsepak during his dissertation research at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamshala, India.

Tsepak will instruct a set of new courses, including: Introduction to Tibetan Civilization (ASIA 1700), Encounters: Tibet, the Himalayas and the West (ASIA 4300) and Tibetan language courses.

Tsepak is currently finishing his doctoral studies in the department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington.

鈥淚 taught a lot of courses related to Tibet here at Indiana University,鈥� Tsepak said. 鈥淔or the past two years, I taught 鈥業ntro to India鈥� through the India studies program here and then I also included a module on the Himalayan mountainous region, north and northeastern India. Whenever I get a chance, I like to talk about the Himalayan and Tibetan connection.鈥�

From 2015 to 2021, Tsepak, who is originally from the region, taught a range of Tibetan studies from linguistics to history. His research and forthcoming articles have granted him various awards, scholarships and fellowships. The grants helped him travel to the Himalayan region in South Asia and India to directly connect with Tibetan scholars and research materials.

鈥淚 go (traveled) to all these different monasteries, look into their archives, see what鈥檚 related to my research... I try my best to learn as much as I can and get in touch with the Tibetan academic lineage and learn from their local? scholars. I鈥檓 trying my best to combine these two academic traditions (Western and Tibetan) in my work.鈥�

Tsepak was born in India and attended different schools in the country, one of which was established by the Dalai Lama. He then received his bachelor's degree in English literature at Loyola College and master鈥檚 at Madras Christian College, both in Chennai, India.

Tim Oakes, who directs the Center for Asian Studies, said Tsepak鈥檚 expertise complements that of other faculty. 鈥淲e look for someone whose work is capable of transcending their specific disciplinary training so that they can speak to the broader area studies aspects that we鈥檙e committed to building here at CU Boulder,鈥� Oakes said.

Tsepak鈥檚 classes will allow students to 鈥渢ranscend the borders鈥� and learn about traditional and contemporary Tibetan civilizations, culture and the relationship between Tibet and the West.

In Introduction to Tibetan Civilizations, the class will explore various cultural components. The topics range from geography, demographics and pre-Buddhist cultures and traditions.

"In Tsepak, we saw someone well-versed in transcultural Tibetan studies; his perspective as a member of the South Asian Tibetan diaspora, who initially studied in South India prior to earning his PhD at Indiana will be a valuable contribution to our program," Oakes said.

He (Tsepak) is committed to understanding this region in a way that transcends the many borders that separate and divide it.鈥�

"Tibet and the Himalayas have long captured the imagination and fascination of the West," Tsepak said. In Encounters: Tibet, the Himalayas and the West, the course examines the history of encounters and interactions between Tibet, the Himalayas, and the West. Topics include early European knowledge about Tibet, historical accounts of various European missionaries, travelers, and merchants from the medieval to the early modern period, the construction of the myth of 鈥淪hangri-La,鈥� and Tibetan ideas of the West and Western civilization.

CU Boulder is one of the top research programs in the country in Tibet and Himalayan Studies due to the work of Professors Emily Yeh of geography, Holly Gayley of religious studies and Carole McGranahan of anthropology. Through the efforts of the professors and scholars, CAS partnered with the Tibet Himalaya Initiative to promote research, teaching and engagement on Tibet and the Himalayas.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very important culture, language and literature. I wish there were more programs in Western academia that focused on Tibet. The Boulder program is one of the few in the world,鈥� Tsepak said. 鈥淚 spend a lot of time making the topic interesting and teaching it is a very rewarding job. I feel lucky to have this experience.鈥�

The certificate in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies has not been formally established by the center. The department will submit the certificate proposal early in the fall, and Oakes estimates its approval and implementation by the middle of 2022. Students who enroll in Tsepak鈥檚 courses and other affiliated classes this fall will earn credit towards completing the certificate.

More information on Tibetan & Himalayan Studies and Tsepak鈥檚 courses is available on the Center for Asian Studies鈥� website.

With the help of a new scholar, the Center for Asian Studies aims to launch a program that looks to educate students about this politically fraught region.

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Weeklong event celebrates Indigenous Americas

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 16:01:07 +0000

Weeklong event celebrates Indigenous Americas Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/26/2021 - 09:01

The week will include educational panels and roundtables, hip-hop concerts, poetry readings, cooking lessons, film screenings and more

Indigenous artists, advocates, community leaders, educators, scholars and professionals will spend next week celebrating Indigenous languages, cultures, activities and cultures.

Celebrating the Indigenous Americas is a week of virtual events hosted by the Latin American Studies Center at the University of Colorado Boulder from March 1-5. All events are free and open to the public, and attendees may register on the event鈥檚 website for one or all of the 14 scheduled events, which feature 49 speakers.

During the week, experts from CU Boulder and around the world aim to celebrate the 鈥渆ver-renewed presence of Latin American Indigenous languages and cultures in daily life, activities and professions.鈥�

Planned panels and roundtables cover food sovereignty, bilingual education, social movements, land reclamation, migration, environmental justice, university-community partnerships, broadcasting and communication.

The week will also include hip-hop concerts, poetry readings, cooking lessons, film screenings and more.

A full list of speakers, which includes Charlie Uruchima, the co-founder of 鈥婯ichwa Hatari鈥�, the first Kichwa radio project in the U.S., Liberato Kani, a Peruvian Quechua rapper and composer, and Moira Ivana Mill谩n, a Mapuche novelist and co-founder of the Movement of Indigenous Women for Good Living, is available on the event鈥檚 website.

CU Boulder鈥檚 Latin American Studies Center is a home for research, teaching and discussion on Latin America and Latinx Studies on campus and is the host for the event.

鈥婽he center fosters cross-disciplinary research and education through its research clusters, Quechua language training, community events, new curriculum and outreach collaborations, strengthening links with Latin America and with communities of Latin American origin in the United States.

Celebrating the Indigenous Americas is sponsored by the Latin American Studies Center, the U.S. Department of Education, Title VI IFLE (International and Foreign Language Education), the Center for Native and Indigenous Studies, University Libraries, the American Music Research Center, the CU Boulder Museum of Natural History and the Center for Humanities & the Arts.

The week will include educational panels and roundtables, hip-hop concerts, poetry readings, cooking lessons, film screenings and more.

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New undergraduate certificate in Tibetan and Himalayan studies in works

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 16:26:07 +0000

New undergraduate certificate in Tibetan and Himalayan studies in works Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/21/2020 - 10:26

New grant from the U.S. Department of Education will allow more offerings in Tibetan and Himalayan studies for students

The Center for Asian Studies has received a two-year Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will allow the center to further develop offerings in Tibetan and Himalayan studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.

鈥淐U Boulder is an internationally recognized leader in research on Tibet and Himalaya issues. This grant will help bring that expertise to our undergraduate students in the form of a new certificate program in Asian Studies,鈥� said Tim Oakes, the center鈥檚 director.

The grant has three main components:

1) Tibetan and Himalayan area studies: The center plans to hire a half-time instructor who will develop and teach introductory courses on Tibetan and Himalayan civilization from traditional to contemporary times, offer course development grants to encourage CU Boulder faculty members to add Tibetan and Himalayan content to existing courses or create new courses focusing on the region, and work with partners at the Tibet Himalaya Initiative to plan a series of events on the region. The first event, 鈥�The Chinese Revolution on the Tibetan Frontier: Rebellion, Repression, and Remembrance on a Tibetan Borderland of Early-Maoist China,鈥� a lecture by Benno Weiner, associate professor of history at Carnegie Mellon University, was held remotely this month.

2) Tibetan and Nepali language courses: Beginning in fall 2021, the center plans to offer credit-bearing Directed Independent Language Studies courses in both Tibetan and Nepali languages, in partnership with the Anderson Language Technology Center (ALTEC).

3) Language study scholarships: The center will offer scholarships to students who will pursue summer language programs in Tibetan and Nepali, either through study abroad or domestically, to help them build their language skills beyond the introductory level available at CU Boulder.

Information about grant activities will be posted to the Center for Asian Studies website as it becomes available.

New grant from the U.S. Department of Education will allow more offerings in Tibetan and Himalayan studies for students.

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