Caste-Based Discrimination In Contemporary Nepal - A problematisation of Nepal’s national policies that address discrimination based on caste

Abstract: This paper critically interrogates Nepal’s national policies on caste based discrimination, thatwere implemented post the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2006. It usesCarol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented to be?’ (WPR) method for policy analysis tounderstand the problem representations within existing policies that address discrimination based on caste in Nepal today. This study is conducted vis a vis the role of the current government in shaping the understanding of the ‘problem’ representation in these policies. This study aspires to show that the problem of caste based discrimination in Nepal cannot be represented solely as a problem of poverty and development. Instead, policy reforms need to prioritize the recognition of caste based discrimination as a problem, in and of itself, in order to alleviate the suffering and discrimination of caste affected groups in Nepal.