Nepal Undergoes Structural Changes

It might be a platitude to say that everything in this universe is changeable. Reiterating commonplace things like this may seem boring, but it can also be interesting at times. We all know that the word “change” denotes alteration of some kind, big or small. Nature alters, and so does society.  Social change is a phenomenon that occurs in human society. Steven Vago (1989) offered a working definition of social change as the process of planned or unplanned qualitative or quantitative alterations in social phenomena. It involves significant transformation in norms, values, laws, institutions, behaviours, social relationships, and other aspects of society. It can occur gradually or rapidly and may affect a small group, a whole community, or an entire nation. 

One question may crop up: Does a society change itself, or does it need human intervention? If Karl Marx were alive now, he would retort with a big head shake. Since his heyday, the staunch followers of Marx have been reiterating his words, “The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.” For Marx, society remains static unless humans make an organised effort to change it. Two mutually exclusive theories may help us understand the point: the unfettered capitalist theory of a free market economy and the interventionist approach of socialist theory. These theories are congruent with two corresponding scientific theories: Darwinian principles of natural selection and the ecological approach to protecting and conserving endangered species. 

Power relations 

According to the first theory, society changes through an evolutionary process in which capable humans survive and less capable ones die out. Power relations between the various social groups are involved in this process. Throughout history, powerful groups have subjugated the powerless groups – the whites have subjugated the blacks, the upper class has ruled the lower class, and men have dominated women. In this process, too, society continues to change. 

Another approach to social change is ecological. In contrast to the evolutionary approach, humans make efforts to alter society. While some people work to reform society, others intend to bring about complete change. In every society, therefore, such events have happened for ages. Social change can be driven by various factors, including education, economic growth, technological advancements, and social consciousness. 

In light of what thinkers said decades or even centuries ago, we can analyse contemporary Nepali society, which has undergone several changes over the years. In a well-known cultural history, a great being like Gautama, the Buddha, preached to his disciples to follow the Panchasheel principles, his aim being to improve society. He was an influential spiritual leader who intended to alter society peacefully by changing human minds. If all human beings were enlightened, the society in which they lived would be better. 

Like spiritual leaders, some political actors in different ages, such as the Lichhavi, Malla, and Shah Dynasty, also attempted to reform society through various reform policies. Even some rulers during the Rana oligarchy, Dev Shumsher, for example, took initiatives to reform society. Later in the twentieth century, political leaders such as BP Koirala and Pushpalal introduced their concept of political revolution. Their initiatives required human intervention to alter the autocratic feudal system, which had long kept the society stagnant. As a consequence of the people’s movement, democracy was established and freedom was enjoyed. 

With the advent of democracy in 1949, people felt free and came out to alter the feudal structure of society, advocating equality in all spheres of life – home, school, community, market, and larger society. Husband and wife at home, upper caste and lower caste in the community, wealthy class and poor class in the market, and all of these in the larger society were expected to be equal. Little changes were seen in society, with the overall structure remaining essentially unchanged.  Sadly, for four decades until 1990, the interventionists could blame the Panchayat system, which interrupted the process of social change. Happily, in 1990, democracy was restored, which played a crucial role in accelerating social transformations. 

The key aspects of social change are evident in several spheres. The social structure has witnessed significant shifts in institutions such as family, education, and the economy. Likewise, Nepal has undergone apparent changes in cultural spheres, including the transformation of beliefs, customs, values, and symbols. Technological changes have altered daily life and interactions. The most significant changes can be seen in politics, where reforms have been implemented in laws, power structures, policies, leadership, and the entire governance system. Most importantly, we have experienced significant changes in demographic structure, including population size, age distribution, and migration patterns. The population size has increased by more than double within half a century, and life expectancy has increased from below 60 to above 70 years. 

Spinoffs of Social Change

When we observe the quantitative growth, we may feel happy about the changes we have witnessed in our country. But some changes have also gone in the wrong direction. Instead of accelerating society forward, some of them have also pushed it backward. For example, despite satisfactory growth in other areas, a change in population structure may yield unintended consequences. In recent years, migration to foreign countries has increased alarmingly. The flight of the meritorious population to other lands in so rapid a rate may someday deplete the homeland. The migrating culture cannot be called a sign of positive social change.

Another area of undesirable consequences is the blind imitation of Western culture at the cost of losing the indigenous oriental one, which is so beautiful. We can imagine what happens when we lose our own and cannot fully adopt the others. This is not due to the political situation, as some people tend to blame. Change is inevitable. What is direly needed now is a positive attitude toward positive social change. For this, the entire citizenry should be responsible for adopting a positive attitude and behaviour, and discarding negative thinking. This leads to a positive direction in social change.  

(The author is the chairman of Molung Foundation. bhupadhamala@gmail.com)