Nanda R. and Pamela L. Shrestha Fund for Honouring Nepal Scholars

Celebrating the Work of Professor Michael J. Hutt
Pre-conference Symposium

Nanda R. and Pamela L. Shrestha Fund for Honouring Nepal Scholars
25 July 2023, Tuesday | 8:45 am to 5:30 pm | Hotel Shanker, Lazimpat, Kathmandu

Convenors: Liana Chase (Durham University), Stefanie Lotter (SOAS University of London), Jeevan Sharma (University of Edinburgh), and Mark Turin (University of British Columbia)

Michael J. Hutt, Professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies, at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, whose teaching and research career in the field of Nepal and Himalayan Studies spans over 30 years, took early retirement in late 2021.

Hutt is both an esteemed translator and renowned scholar of South Asian languages and cultures who describes Nepali literature as his ‘home ground’. From the popular Teach Yourself Nepali to his more recent collaborations with Dalit writers, he has consistently worked to make Nepali language and writing accessible to wider audiences.

Hutt’s contribution to regional studies extends well beyond the literary sphere. He was one of the first scholars to publish on the Bhutanese refugee crisis, establishing himself as an authority on the socio-political origins and impacts of the issue. He published extensively on Nepali politics before, during and following the Maoist conflict and has also engaged with the Nepali diaspora in India, Nepal Earthquake, the Nepali media, and Nepali art and architecture.

Beyond his immeasurable contribution to regional studies, Hutt has worked in collaboration with other scholars and trained graduate students working across a range of disciplines and thematic areas. His students have used a rich, contextualised engagement with South Asian languages and cultures to advance knowledge in law, public health, social anthropology, political science, and beyond.

To mark his retirement and to celebrate his critical role in advancing ‘Nepal and Himalayan Studies’, this symposium was hosted by Social Science Baha under the aegis of its Nanda R. and Pamela L. Shrestha Fund for Honouring Nepal Scholars on 25 June 2023, a day before the Annual Kathmandu Conference on Nepal and the Himalaya.

A total of ten research papers were presented in the one-day symposium, followed by a roundtable discussion on ‘Nepal Studies’. The abstracts for the papers presented can be found here and the schedule of the day, here. To access photographs from the symposium, please click here.