Whose nation, whose federalism? Disputed imaginaries of belonging in Nepal’s ethnic politics

Political leaders and constitution-makers presented Nepal’s transition from monarchy to federal republic as a means of addressing historical exclusion and creating a more inclusive political order. Yet, federal restructuring has exposed persistent tensions over identity, territory, and national belonging. This article examines how ethnic mobilisation and state-centred narratives of national unity have shaped debates on federalism in post-conflict Nepal. It argues that federalism has become a contested arena in which competing claims to citizenship, representation, and recognition are negotiated. While Janajati and Madhesi movements have advanced identity-based federalism as a means of political inclusion and historical redress, state actors have responded by co-opting, securitising, and reasserting a homogenising national identity. Nepal’s experience highlights the limits of liberal inclusion in a multi-ethnic state and demonstrates that federal restructuring involves not only the distribution of power but also continuing struggles over the boundaries of membership, recognition, and collective identity.