Fulbright Forum with American Fulbright Student Researcher Maria Bossert

Forum Title: "Environmental Change and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Nepal’s Chitwan Tharu Community"

Fulbright Nepal is preparing to hold an event at USEF-Nepal, featuring American Fulbright Student Researcher Maria Bossert. During this event, Bossert will delve into narrative accounts derived from ethnographic interviews with members of Chitwan’s Tharu community, shedding light on their experiences amidst rapid and recent environmental shifts in their ancestral lands.

Maria Bossert, a graduate in Anthropology and International Affairs from Lafayette College, has been collaborating with the Tharu Cultural Museum and Research Center, along with Nepal’s National Trust for Nature Conservation. Together, they seek to comprehend the responses of the Indigenous Tharu community in Chitwan to environmental changes. Since the U.S.-supported eradication of malaria in the 1950s, the region has undergone significant transformations, including the establishment of Nepal’s inaugural national park, the modernization of traditional agricultural practices, and the exacerbation of climate change impacts on both the population and the ecosystem. Bossert's research endeavors not only to document these shifts but also to spotlight the resilience and adaptive measures undertaken by the Tharu community in confronting these adversities.

Key Details

• Date: May 10, 2024, Friday
• Time: 3:00 PM onwards
• Location: Auditorium Hall, United States Education Foundation (USEF) Nepal, Aakritimarg, Maharajgunj