JUDITH PETTIGREW LANCASHIRE SCHOOL OF HEALTH.AND POSTGRADUATE MEDICINE LIVING BETWEEN THE MAOISTS AND THE ARMY

Using ethnographic da ta collec ted in a village in rura l Nepal in 2002, thi s article explores the fear that pervades the li ves of the vill agers and the surviva l strategies and creativity that they bring to bear on the extraordinary s ituat ions they are forced to encou nter. Since the esca la ti on of the conOiet at th e enel of 2001, a 'c ulture of terror ' has engulfed the li ves of rural Nepal is. The Maoist in surgents have coerceel th em illlo provicling fo od and she lte r, which in turn makes the vill age rs vulnerable to aggression by the security forces who suspect them of collaborating with the enemy. In the context o f the ever-present but unpredictable threat from both s ides of ki llings, bea tings and torture, and the tensions and insecur ities caused by rumour anel coun-ter-rumour, this study examines the depth of fear expe rienced by the vi llagers and the ex tent to wh ich this fea r h as become part of their daily ex istence. [t confirms ex periences frolll o the r parts of the world where the 'routini sat ion of fea r ' ha s been show n to have long-term effects on peop le's psyc hologica l hea lth. [n thi s s tudy the effects are seen in change d sleeping patte rn s, chronic illnesses, altereel re lationships with the land, and new ways of soc iali s ing both w ithin the famil)1 and in the w ieler Vill age. But eve n in the vio lat ion of their most intimate spaces-their homes-the villagers have been able to maintain so me degree of control and creative resis-tance over thei r unwelco me guests through their own soc ia l networks and cultural practi ces