Rituals, Taboos, and Seclusion: Life Stories of Women Navigating Culture and Pushing for Change in Nepal

Abstract

Drawing from life history narratives of 84 women in Nepal, we examine women’s particular lived experiences of cultural rituals, traditions, and taboos surrounding menstruation, as well as the practice of seclusion, which in it extreme form, sequesters menstruating women into menstrual huts (chaupadi). Grounding our analysis in the specific sociocultural context of Nepali women themselves reveals important dynamics about gender formation, the perpetuation of power, relationships with one’s own body, and resistance to gendered constructions. These findings can then inform effective policies and programs to create awareness and change people’s understandings of and practices surrounding menstruation not only in the context of Nepal, but elsewhere as well.