Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/People of Nepal (book)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   keep. Article's subject is found to be notable. Thanks go to User:Cunard for saving the article by providing reliable sources. &mdash; Coffee //  have a cup  //  beans  // 00:10, 14 March 2015 (UTC)

People of Nepal (book)

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The subject doesn't meet the notability requirements of WP:NBOOK. Though the book was published in 1981, and is listed for sale on Amazon, I couldn't find a single review of the book (not even an Amazon customer review). Fiachra10003 (talk) 15:49, 6 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Literature-related deletion discussions.  Everymorning   talk  15:54, 6 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Delete Keep. Like nom, unable to find any reviews. Fails NBOOK. Per Cunard's impressive research, changed vote to "Keep". APerson (talk!) 17:15, 6 March 2015 (UTC) (switched vote 13:43, 9 March 2015 (UTC))
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Nepal-related deletion discussions.  Lady  of  Shalott  17:52, 6 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Keep Notability (books) says (my bolding): "Academic and technical books serve a very different function and come to be published through very different processes than do books intended for the general public. They are often highly specialized, have small printing runs, and may only be available in specialized libraries and bookstores. For these reasons, most of the standards for mainstream books are inapplicable to the academic field because they would be too restrictive and would exclude articles on books that are worthy of notice. Again, common sense should prevail. In such cases, possible bases for a finding of notability include, in particular, whether the book is published by an academic press, how widely the book is cited by other academic publications or in the media, how influential the book is considered to be in its specialty area, or adjunct disciplines, and whether it is, or has been, taught, or required reading, in one or more reputable educational institutions." Here are some sources I found about the subject:
 * The book notes: "In the 1950s the doyen of Nepalese anthropology Dor Bahadur Bista accompanied by Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf visited East Nepal. His ethnographic notes were published in the classic People of Nepal (1967). In a separate chapter Bista deals with the Kirati but includes only the Rai, the Yakha and the Limbu. The Sunuwar and the Jirel are subject of a separate chapter and their relationship to the Kirati remains unexplained. Unfortunately Bista places the Sunuwar in respect of their culture, language and physical appearance close to the Magar and writes: 'Some believe that they are offshoots of the Magar, others that they came from Simraungarh in the eastern Terai' (1980: 69)."
 * The book notes: "The following year, Dor Bahadur Bista published his immediately definitive People of Nepal, in which the Thangmi get little more than a passing mention: [quote] Although mistaken, Bista's classification of the Thangmi as culturally similar to the Tamang was destined to stick, and many secondary sources and textbooks published after Bista have perpetuated this error."
 * The article notes: "Dor Bahadur Bista, Nepal's best-known anthropologist, social scientist and activist, disappeared suddenly and without trace a little over five years ago while working on a development project in the remote western hill district of Jumla. The mystery of Dor Bahadur's disappearance deepened with rumours that he had been killed by high-caste villagers who opposed his radical consciousness-raising among the poor. Even his family had given up hope. Dor Bahadurs work started in the 1950s when he collaborated with the Austrian anthropologist Christof von Furer-Haimendorf on a sociological and anthropological study of Nepal. The result was his seminal work, People of Nepal (1964)."
 * The book is mentioned as a "noted study" in Encyclopædia Britannica's "Nepal" article. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/409152/Nepal/23653/Additional-ReadingWebCite.
 * The sources call the book "classic", "definitive", "seminal", and "noted". The author, Dor Bahadur Bista, is called "Nepal's best-known anthropologist". Although I did not find "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject" (from Notability), I think the book's article should be kept using the guidance from Notability (books) ("how influential the book is considered to be in its specialty area"). Cunard (talk) 00:54, 7 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Very impressive research - if you would care to add your findings to the article I will happily withdraw my nomination. Fiachra10003 (talk) 15:13, 7 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Equally, if you'd prefer, I will rewrite the article to add the evidence you've found. Fiachra10003 (talk) 15:29, 7 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Fiachra10003 and APerson, thank you for your kind words and for reconsidering your nomination and "delete" comment. I have added my findings to the article. Cunard (talk) 22:28, 9 March 2015 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.