THE GLOBAL AND THE LOCAL

Kathmandu Post, May 16, 2010 Mary Douglas was a social anthropologist who came up with an interesting insight into human culture. In her book “Purity and Danger,” Mary Douglas looks at the idea of dirt. What is dirt in one culture may not be in another, she says. Dirt, therefore, is anything that a given society considers out of place. Ideas of pollution, she says, is contextual — it depends upon the society one is living in. One cannot therefore understand dirt without understanding the social history of a place and the people. Recently there has been a surge of interest in the usage of the phrases “sukila mukila” (clean and well-laundered) and “mailo dhailo” (unwashed and ragged) after its usage in a well-publicised moment by chairman Prachanda. I missed the moment, but in recountings I’ve heard intellectuals, writers, and artists of the Kathmandu Valley were described as clean, whereas the protesters who arrived from the villagers were described as unwashed and dirty. Apparently the...

Kathmandu Post, May 16, 2010 Mary Douglas was a social anthropologist who came up with an interesting insight into human culture. In her book “Purity and Danger,” Mary Douglas looks at the idea of dirt. What is dirt in one culture may not be in another, she says. Dirt, therefore, is anything that a given society considers out of place. Ideas of pollution, she says, is contextual — it depends upon the society one is living in. One cannot therefore understand dirt without understanding the social history of a place and the people. Recently there has been a surge of interest in the usage of the phrases “sukila mukila” (clean and well-laundered) and “mailo dhailo” (unwashed and ragged) after its usage in a well-publicised moment by chairman Prachanda. I missed the moment, but in recountings I’ve heard intellectuals, writers, and artists of the Kathmandu Valley were described as clean, whereas the protesters who arrived from the villagers were described as unwashed and dir...