Kathmandu, Dec. 13 -- Do you know that dance bars and restaurants flourished in Kathmandu during the country's most turbulent political periods?

The late Panchayat years, the 1990 People's Movement, and, especially, the Maoist insurgency were periods when the formal economy was unstable, and the future felt uncertain. Yet Kathmandu's urban leisure industry expanded. When everything else was shrinking, nightlife in Kathmandu grew. It was fuelled by people seeking escape, anonymity, and a momentary break from the chaos outside.

'Kathmandu: A Reader', published by Martin Chautari and edited by Benjamin Linder, traces these unlikely shifts in the city's character. This anthology of anthropological essays captures Kathmandu in its many contr...