Living between the Maoists and the army in rural Nepal

Using ethnographic data collected in a village in rural Nepal in 2002, this article explores the fear that pervades the lives of the villagers and the survival strategies and creativity that they bring to bear on the extraordinary situations they are forced to encounter. Since the escalation of the conflict at the end of 2001, a 'culture of terror' has engulfed the lives of rural Nepal is. The Maoist in surgents have coerced them into providing food and shelter , which in turn makes the villagers vulnerable to aggression by the security forces who suspect them of collaborating with the enemy. In the context of the ever-present but unpredictable threat from both s ides of killings, beatings and torture, and the tensions and insecurities caused by rumour and counter- rumour, this study examines the depth of fear experienced by the villagers and the extent to which this fear has become part of their daily existence.It confirms experiences from other parts of the world where the 'routinisation of fear' has been shown to have long-term effects on people's psychological health. In this study the effects are seen in changed sleeping patterns, chronic illnesses, altered relationships with the land , and new ways of socialising both within the family and in the wider village. But even in the violation of their most intimate spaces-their homes-the villagers have been able to maintain some degree of control and creative resistance over their unwelcome guests through their own social networks and cultural practices.