Social Exclusion and Social Change: Access To, and Influence of,Community-Based Collective Action Programs in Nepal.

[摘要] This dissertation examines how the ascribed status of caste influences participation in community-based organizations within a context marked by hierarchy and discrimination. It also analyzes how this association changes over time in Western Chitwan, Nepal. Finally, it examines the association between individuals’ participation in community-based organizations and changes in their gender- and family-related attitudes within this rapidly changing, non-industrial context.I utilize frameworks of social stratification and social exclusion to examine how formal and informal institutions and practices work to disconnect groups and individuals from social relations, and create barriers that prevent them from being able to participate in activities which would be normal and accessible for others. I expand on the framework of family modes of social organization to better understand how the introduction of new institutions and opportunities influences changes in gender- and family-related attitudes in a more egalitarian direction. I use long-term panel data to empirically test these theoretical models.Data from the first wave of the Chitwan Valley Family Study shows that compared to the upper caste privileged groups, all other caste/ethnic groups have significantly lower rates of participation in community groups. However, examining changes in the rates of participation over time show that participation of lower caste groups is no longer statistically different from the upper caste group.Yet, the most marginalized Tarai-Janajati group continues to show less likelihood of participation. Women have increased their participation at greater rates than men have. An examination of intersectional caste/ethnic and gender identities reveals insights about how rates of participation differ based on distinctive socio-cultural experiences. I examine the effect of participation in community-based organizations on changes in a set of four individual attitudes representing gendered relations in the context of Nepal - timing of marriage for girls, re-marriage of young widows, role expectations for daughters-in-law, and the role of men in household decision-making. Participation in community groups has a strong, highly significant and independent effect on changes in these attitudes towards more egalitarianism. This demonstrates the importance of expanding our understanding of the diversity of experiences that influence changes in such attitudes in settings undergoing social changes.

[发布机构] University of Michigan

[效力级别] Social Exclusion and Caste Discrimination

[关键词] Participation in Community-based Organizations;Social Exclusion and Caste Discrimination;Changes in Gender- and Family-related Attitudes;Community Development and Changing Gender Attitudes in Chitwan;Nepal;Population and Demography;Sociology;Social Sciences;Sociology