Does Sacrifice Avert Violence? Reflections from Nepal and the People’s War

Authors

  • Marie Lecomte-Tilouine Centre for Himalayan Studies

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14672/ada2013197%25p

Keywords:

violence, sacrifice, martyrdom, ethnography, Nepal

Abstract

The article explores the complex relationship between sacrificial rituals and violence within socio-political contexts. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research in Nepal, the study examines how Maoist revolutionary movements infused with sacrificial symbolism generated a unique form of revolutionary violence. The article delves into the paradoxical roles of sacrifice as both a regulator and a progenitor of violence, highlighting the interplay between religious rituals and political violence. The findings suggest that sacrificial violence, far from being a mere metaphor, plays a critical role in the construction and legitimization of collective violence in revolutionary contexts.

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Published

2013-10-31

Issue

No. 16 (2013): War

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2013 Marie Lecomte-Tilouine

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