Nepal indeed is a country of contrasts as evidenced by its physical variety and cultural diversity. This book is devoted to the latter aspect with focus on social demography. It commence with description of growth, distribution of population.

The Nepalese population is not an amorphous mass but a complex of culture groups. Their social composition is discussed here in terms of broad ethnic/caste, linguistic, and religious divisions. Despite a long history of state advocacy for homogenisation, the evidence is one of persistence of the periphery.

The second part of the book attempts to seek some conjunctions between education and elites, ethnicity and elections, development and ideology, and the state and society. The text is supplemented by numerous cartograms and statictical tables to illuminate spatial pattern as well as temporal process.

Nepal is presently passing through a phase of economic doldrum and political turmoil. Of no less significance is the current process of social ferment, however subtle. This book is a contribution towards a better understanding on Nepalese society.

The author
Harka Gurung was born in 1939 in Lamjung, Central Nepal, and went to military school in India. Topped in I.A. at Tri-Chandra College as well as B.A. Hons. at Patna College and later did Post-Graduate Diploma (1961) and Ph. D. (1965) from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Academic assignments include as Demonstrator (University of Edinburgh), Research Fellow (SOAS/University of London), Lecturer (Tribhuvan University), and Visiting Fellow (Population Institute/East-West Centre Served HMG-Chairman of Planning commission (1968-74) and State Minister for Education, Industry & Commerce, Tourism, and Public Works & Transport (1975-78).

After leaving the Government, turned to consultancy work including those for HMG/Nepal, ADB, ESCAP, IDRS, IFDA, IUCN, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNRISD, USAID, WWF and the World Bank. Has been Board Member of ADIPA, ICIMOD, IIEP/UNESCO, and the Lumbini Development Trust. Director (1993-97) of Asian & Pacific Development Centre, an intergovernmental organisation based in Kuala Lumpur. Has been associated with New ERA since 1991.