Dancing with Uncertainty in the Himalayas in Times of Multiple Crises

Abstract

Based on the life histories of 10 poor rural Nepalese, the article, drawing on the metaphor of dance, explores the structured improvisations of these individuals in response to the hazards and possibilities they have found in life. Key themes of repertoires and risk pools, time preference behaviour and disposition or hope are explored. While land remains central to risk pools, contributing to subsistence and security, it is insufficient. The improvisatory nature of life and the contingent and contextual nature of the choice architecture faced by these poor individuals, make clear that pathways of change are not constant or linear. The gathering storm of crises in Nepal of which climate change is just one element has rendered customary time frames unstable. The normal can no longer be taken for granted, questioning how policy and planning can address the hazard-laden environment that poor people face.