Windows into a revolution: ethnographies of Maoism

A red corridor stretching from Nepal in the North, to the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, in the South, grips the public imagination in South Asia. Despite the collapse of socialism and the demise of communist governments across the world, in South Asia, Maoist movements have (re)emerged as a significant force in the region. India and Nepal have had people across the country mobilised in protracted guerrilla war aimed at annihilating class enemies, creating liberated zones and seizing state power through the barrel of the gun. In Nepal, a ‘People’s War ’ was declared in February 1996. The objective was to overthrow the old order, which included monarchic and privileged rule by an establishment of landed families and to replace it with a New People’s Democracy. The following years saw the spread of the Maoists from their strongholds in Nepal’s mid-western districts, attacks on the Royal Nepalese Army,1 the deployment of the army and the suspension of democratic powers. In 2003 and 2004, Nepal had the highest number of disappearances in the world (Human Rights Watch 2004), and more than 14,000 people have lost their lives since 1996. However, from November 2005, the Maoists were set to formally shape the country’s political future as they collaborated with seven mainstream political parties to agree on a programme intended to restore democracy. Following a successful People’s Movement in April 2006, King Gyanendra, who had staged a coup in February 2005, relinquished power. The government and the Maoists signed a peace accord in November 2006, declaring a formal end to the 10-year insurgency. And finally, in April 2008, the Maoists won a stunning victory gainin