Boundary transgressions and behavioural inversions: the case of Bardiya National Park (south-west Nepal)

Abstract

Like many other “fortress” conservation areas, the Bardiya National Park (BNP) in south-west Nepal has, since the 1950s and until the late 1980s, been the focus of a series of relocations that have deprived populations of their right to use the forest’s resources. Animals and humans, who once lived together, are today more and more numerous and find themselves in conflictual encounters with often dramatic outcomes. How have territories been divided up, and how do reciprocal transgressions take place? What are their consequences? Why are yesterday’s practices now being condemned? Based on over a year of ethnographic research at Bardiya -including participant observation, linguistic study, interviews- I propose to present the Park’s important historical context and explain how and why wild animals and humans continue to meet against all odds. I will also show how the Park is regulated to limit these encounters, discredit past knowledge and control living beings. Finally, I’ll talk about the places, particular animals, deities and professions that also transgress boundaries and make connections.