Nepalese diasporic websites: Signs and conditions of a diaspora in the making?

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the expression ‘Nepalese diaspora’ has increasingly been used by the Nepalese government, expatriates, reporters and intellectuals. The Nepalese diaspora, or those who speak on behalf of it, occupies a growing amount of Nepalese public space, especially on the Internet. Taking into account the performativity of the term ‘diaspora’, the author tries to understand how Nepalese diasporic websites are the sign and conditions of an ‘incipient diaspora’. Analysis of authoritative websites and links between different websites helps understand the structure of the Nepalese diaspora and the issues at stake. The Internet is hardly egalitarian and reflects the tensions in Nepalese society. However, links between websites are real. Non-Resident Nepalis’ Association websites are central to the associative Web, and cultural association websites are in the majority. The ‘etic’ study of ‘emic’ discourses of self-presentation by the diaspora shows that, through their public and performative dimensions, Nepalese diasporic websites are at the very heart of the process of constructing the Nepalese diaspora.