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Being, Made

Existential Narratives from the Nepalese Himalayas
By Samuele Poletti
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Brief Description
A unique ethnography of Sinja, a rural valley in northwest Nepal, and the cross-cultural ramifications of personhood in South Asia. Based on more than a decade of research, Being, Made is an exploration of how personhood is articulated among Hindus in Sinja, and how this is... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$6699
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Releases 26th December 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Being, Made" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A unique ethnography of Sinja, a rural valley in northwest Nepal, and the cross-cultural ramifications of personhood in South Asia.

Based on more than a decade of research, Being, Made is an exploration of how personhood is articulated among Hindus in Sinja, and how this is being transformed by the growing presence of Pentecostal Christianity. The book illustrates the interpretive efforts of several characters to make sense of their lives, or of particular events that have left a mark on them. In doing so, it highlights the specific narratives that inform these life stories, giving shape to corresponding subjects.

By foregrounding the underpinnings of how one becomes a certain kind of person in Sinja, Being, Made raises questions about the narrative construction of the self, its permeability to external forces—be they social expectations or invisible entities such as gods, demons, or the spirits of the dead—and the crumbling of self-making efforts under the weight of adverse circumstances.

The argument presented moves the understanding of personhood in South Asia beyond its traditional focus on abstract tropes of "dividualism" to delve deeper into the actual ways in which both Hindus and Christians in Sinja become who they are and experience the world around them. Theoretically, Being, Made engages with current debates on intersubjectivity, offering a thorough account of how specific subjects emerge, and sometimes dissolve, within broader networks of meaning and relations.

It outlines the basis for conceptualising subjectivity in open-ended terms—that is, not as a preconceived notion that is universally applicable, but as a by-product of specific circumstances that are constantly negotiated in light of different hermeneutic devices.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781914363566

Publisher: HAU

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 November 2026

Country: United States

Imprint: HAU

Illustration: 43 halftones, 1 map

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 454g

Pages: 280

Collections

History & Archaeology History & Military Non-Fiction Non-Fiction Pre-Orders Pre-order Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Samuele Poletti

About the Author

Samuele Poletti is a lecturer at the Università della Svizzera Italiana, as well as an associate researcher at the Center for South Asian and Himalayan Studies at the CNRS and the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS).

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