Associate Professor of Asian Studies, University of Hawaii-Manoa
"After Jagat Shah was killed in action during a revolt against King Mahendra's government in 1962, Rashmi Rajya stayed in Calcutta as a political refugee before she committed suicide in full bridal wear a day before Teej of the same year. The poem was penned during that time in memory of her husband."
Who were Ralpha? Nepal's original leftist cultural group, they began as a politically neutral artists' collective interested in nihilism and existentialism (and surrealism, as Manjul points out in the 1988 memoir The Footsteps of Memory). As I begin writing a new book on political performance, love, and friendship among Nepal's political left, Ralpha are the… Continue reading Ralpha: An Overview (translation)
I'm thrilled that I've been awarded two fellowships, a Fulbright Scholar Award and the CAORC NEH Senior Fellowship, to work on my new book project, on Nepali progressive song. 2018-2019 will be a sabbatical year of research and writing in Nepal. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and new, and working on this project (more… Continue reading Fulbright, CAORC NEH, and a Sabbatical Project
Thanks to all who came to my talk today on "Music in Bhutan: Himalayan Connections." The link below contains my presentation with all the links to musical examples; they should work from the PDF, or you may copy them into your browser. Bhutan Music Here are some further resources: Ter Ellingson, Mandala of Sound: Concepts… Continue reading East-West Center Talk: Music in Bhutan: Himalayan Connections
Check out my blog post on Oxford University Press's website! I wrote this to go with this video, but they didn't link to it for some reason. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCLmzoUG8tE At this same gathering, people also sang dohori in Tamang language. This one awaits translation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0_B8YG9t8E
My book is out! Launch TODAY 11/13 at UH Manoa Asian Studies Program, Tokioka Room, Moore Hall 319. Followed by the Center for South Asian Studies Fall 2017 get-together. Books will be available for purchase from the UH Bookstore, and are also available from Oxford University Press. An ethnographic study of music, performance, migration, and… Continue reading Singing Across Divides Book Launch
In May 2007, this celebration of kauda chudka song and dance, in Lower Gyaja village of Manakamana VDC in Gorkha district, helped me understand how Nepal's urban dohori restaurants were trying to create a rural festival atmosphere. It also led me to question strict separation between political songs and "regular" folk songs. The song posted… Continue reading Kauda Chudka in Gorkha District
I'm so excited that my project of the past decade will finally appear in print! It has truly been a labor of love. You can pre-order by clicking the link below, and it's supposed to be available on October 2, 2017. Singing Across Divides: Music and Intimate Politics in Nepal Here's the summary: "An ethnographic… Continue reading My book, Singing Across Divides, available for pre-order
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcmnCoTMxto "Returning from the Battlefield" is an opera written by the Nepali composer of progressive and revolutionary songs, Khusiram Pakhrin. It was written for a meeting of the leadership of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist during their People's War (1996-2006); this meeting, in 2005, proved decisive in the conclusion of the war. The opera was… Continue reading Experiences informing the Maoist Opera “Returning from the Battlefield”: Photos from Khusiram Pakhrin
A translation of Tulsi Pravas's article about me (original linked to here), which is a condensed version of the speech he gave to introduce me at the Ali Miya Prize ceremony. Anna: American with a Nepali Heart Tulsi Pravas Pokhara, 26 February 2016 Samadhan News Equally dedicated not only to research on Nepali folk and… Continue reading Anna: American with a Nepali Heart
Anna M Stirr, Ph.D. 
You must be logged in to post a comment.