Subedi Prize Announcement, Lectures & Books for Sale
2025 Subedi Prize Winner Announcement
The Society is pleased to announce that the judges of the 2025 Subedi Prize for the Study of Nepal have reached their decision.
The judges decided, unanimously, to award the prize to Gellner and Adhikari’s book Nepal’s Dalits in Transition, which is a comprehensive contribution to the fields of Dalit Studies, Nepal Studies, and broader sociological and anthropological considerations of hierarchy and inequality. This work brings together for the first time scholarly research from multiple contributors, including Dalit writers, into a well-organized and broad, single-source introduction to the current state of affairs for Nepal’s Dalit communities. Nepal’s Dalits in Transition will serve as a useful reference, providing a sound introduction to the subject, and valuable resource for academic researchers, policy-makers and politicians.
While clearly acknowledging the important work of Gellner and Adhikari as editors and contributors to the book, the judges would also like to recognize all of the book’s authors, including numerous Dalit scholars, who offer diverse perspectives on contemporary Dalit experiences across multiple geographical and social contexts. These are: Arjun Bahadur (2 chapters), Tilak Biswakarma, Steve Folmar, Raksha Ram Harijan, Sambriddhi Kharel, Ram Prasad Mainali, Purna Nepali, Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka, Krishna Shrestha, Manoj Suji and Ramesh Sunam. Publication in Nepal with Vajra Books is commended as this increases accessibility to Nepali audiences.
Below, you can find out more about the authors of the winning book.
David Gellner FBA is Emeritus Professor of Social Anthropology and Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College, University of Oxford. He first visited Nepal in 1975 and began formally studying religion and society in Nepal around 1980 in the course of an MPhil in Indian Religion at Oxford. His first book, based on his DPhil, was Monk, Householder, and Tantric Priest: Newar Buddhism and its Hierarchy of Ritual (CUP, 1992). He has edited and authored many books and articles on Nepal since then.
Krishna P. Adhikari is a Research Affiliate at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford, where he co-led the ESRC-funded project ‘Caste, Class, and Culture’ (2013–17) and the BA-funded project ‘The Dalit Search for Dignity’ (2019–23). Before entering academia, he spent twelve years as a practitioner and manager in rural development in Nepal. He completed his PhD at the University of Reading in 2007, focusing on the dynamics of social capital and community institutions. He has written extensively on society and culture, international development, and the Nepali diaspora, including editing Nepalis in the United Kingdom: An Overview (CNSUK, 2012). He is a founder of the Centre for Nepal Studies UK, where he coordinates the Nepal Dialogue UK monthly webinar series and the Motilal Fellowship.
Congratulations to Gellner and Adhikari! The prize presentation will take place next year, and we will share further details in due course.
Upcoming Lectures
Next week, we’re hosting two lectures exploring related themes in Indian history.
On Tuesday 3 November, we welcome architectural historian Dr George Michell, who will lecture on Vijayanagara, a powerful Hindu kingdom that flourished in southern India between the 14th and 16th centurie (details here). His talk will explore the architectural splendours of Hampi, the kingdom’s capital and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, focusing on its principal monuments and their remarkable sculptural decoration.
The rise and eventual decline of the Vijayanagara Empire will also feature in our lecture on Thursday 5 November, when Dr Elizabeth Driver will examine the complex history of Islam’s expansion into the Indian subcontinent from the 14th century onwards (details here). Her talk will trace the history of confrontation and assimilation between Hindu and Islamic civilisations in southern India.
The two lectures offer some interesting points of connection – both are available to join in-person or online, so we hope to see many of you there!
Buy RAS Books Online
The Society has an active publications programme and has, over the years, published numerous monographs and scholarly works covering all aspects of Asian history and culture. We have recently made a selection of our older publications available for purchase through our website, with more titles to be added gradually. Visit our Online Shop to browse the publications currently on sale, alongside other Society merchandise. Prices include shipping to UK addresses, and we are happy to arrange international orders – contact emd@royalasiaticsociety.org if you have any enquiries!
Condolence Message
We end this week’s post on a sad note that our long-standing member, Professor Mandakranta Bose, passed away in September 2026. Professor Bose was Professor Emerita at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where she taught Religion and Women’s Studies. She also served for many years as Director of the University’s Centre for India and South Asia Research. Professor Bose joined the Society in 1990.
We extend our deepest condolences to her family and all those who knew and worked with her.