Menstruation in Nepal

This book examines the complexities of menstrual beliefs and practices in Nepal. Taking an interdisciplinary and intersectional approach, it explores and promotes the rights of women, girls, and people who menstruate to a dignified and healthy menstruation.

The volume

• collates current research in Nepal from local academics, early career researchers, and the Dignity Without Danger research project;

• provides a more nuanced understanding of the complex stigmas and taboos that surround menstruation;

• highlights the importance of rethinking ideas of religion, gender, menstruation, stigma and taboos, cultural practises, and discrimination;

• proposes a counter-narrative that places sociological studies at the heart of the discussion surrounding menstruation; and

• calls for more collaborative action research to strengthen the links between academia and activism across disciplines.

An authoritative contribution, the book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of gender studies, public health, sociology, human rights, South Asian studies, medical sociology, cultural studies, and social medicine, particularly for those concerned with Nepal.

Sara Parker is a Reader in Development Studies and is Principal Investigator on the British Academy Global Challenge Research Fund Sustainable Development Programme–funded project entitled Dignity Without Danger: Collaboratively Analysing Stigma and Taboos to Develop Innovative Strategies to Address Menstrual Exclusion in Nepal.

Kay Standing is Professor in Gender Studies at Liverpool John Moore’s University, United Kingdom. She has been involved in research on gender and education in Nepal since 2003 and has published extensively in both academic and media/online publications.

Madhusudan Subedi is a Professor of Sociology and teaches medical, public health, and nursing students at Patan Academy of Health Sciences and MA and MPhil students at the Central Department of Sociology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal.