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Paper short abstract:

This presentation is based on my research in Nepal, where I witnessed a transition from old to new gender practices and identities. These processes reveal the persistence of gender constructions while at the same time allowing for individual expression and for the affirmation of personal desires.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation is based on my research in Nepal and rotates around themes of gender norms contestation in the domestic sphere. By focusing on marriage choices and practices, I explore how new emerging ideals of companionship and individual well-being among younger generations in Nepal challenge established gender roles and expectations and are mediated at the family level, particularly in ‘conversation’ between parents and their adult children in the Newar city of Bhaktapur. On the one hand, marriage constitutes a crucial step in the shaping of the moral self in Newar society, being a religious sacrament leading to the affirmation of the householder’s path, and a fundamental occasion for attunement to social expectations. On the other hand, my observations suggest that spousal dynamics are becoming central in the contestation of traditional and oppressive gender roles in both joint and nuclear household. Yet, through a discussion of personal narratives, it also emerges that new ideas of gender are generated and creatively negotiated with pre-existing norms and ideals. Ultimately, the material discussed reveals a transition from old to new gender practices and identities, demonstrating the persistence of gender constructions while at the same time allowing for individual expression and for the affirmation of personal desires.