Gatekeepers of cultural memory: Televising religious rituals in Tansen, Nepal

Abstract

This paper examines the coverage of religious festivals by a local cable television organisation in Nepal. The fact that the programmes made by this organisation feature only some of these festivals is significant if we consider the complex role that mass media play in the mediation of socio-political relations between different sections of the town's diverse population. Nevertheless, it is argued that the examination of other processes of cultural mediation, including the festivals themselves, enables a better understanding of how mass media are incorporated into the construction of community and social identity in the public arena. The paper contributes both to the understanding of media, religion and community relations in South Asia and to media anthropology in general.