Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Netherlands
fellow
Stanzin Namgail
2025-2026
Home institution
University of Ladakh
Country of origin (home institution)
India
Discipline(s)
Anthropology and ethnology
Earth, environmental and climate sciences
Religious sciences
Theme(s)
Cultural Studies
Education & Science
Environment, Sustainability & Biodiversity
Identity
Fellowship dates
›
Biography
Stanzin is a NIAS Theme Group Fellow (Ecology and Belonging: In Search of a New Political Space) during 2025-2026.
He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Ladakh and has previously held a position at Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (HNBGU). His research explores the impact of climate change, market forces, and formal education systems on the traditional knowledge and sustainable resource management systems of Indigenous nomadic groups. He has published research papers and articles on topics such as the "Tibet Factor in India-China Relations," geopolitics, India's national security, and changes in the family structure of Changpas.
Research Project
Indigenous perspectives on the relationship between ecology and belonging in the Himalaya
Research question: How do Changpa Indigenous beliefs shape ecological belonging, and how are these being challenged by modern transitions in the Himalaya?
This research project explores the profound interconnections between ecology, culture, and belonging within the Changpa pastoralist community of the Ladakh Himalaya. As a member of this Indigenous nomadic group, Stanzin Namgail offers both personal and scholarly perspectives on a worldview in which the land is sacred, more-than-human beings are kin, and survival depends on reciprocal care for fragile high-altitude ecosystems.
Today, however, the community faces a growing crisis of disconnection. Climate change, market forces, and formal education systems that marginalise Indigenous languages and knowledge have all contributed to the weakening of these relationships—particularly among the younger generation. This shift threatens not only cultural continuity but also centuries-old systems of sustainable resource management.
Through ethnographic research, oral history, and participatory methods, Namgail will document how Changpa cosmologies and ecological practices have evolved, and how they continue to shape collective identity. The project will also explore how these traditions might inform broader conversations on ecological ethics, education, and sustainability.
Research Interests:
Indigenous ecological knowledge; pastoralist cosmologies; sacred landscapes and kinship; climate change and cultural displacement; sustainable resource management in Himalaya
Other fellowships within the network
