Contesting Language Politics: Unveiling Layers of Educational Exclusion among Madhesi Dalit Women in Nepal

Madhesi Dalit women constitute one of the most socio-economically disadvantaged and structurally marginalized groups in Nepal. Situated at the intersection of caste, gender, regional location, and linguistic identity, their access to education remains profoundly constrained. This qualitative study examines the complex barriers and enabling factors shaping the educational experiences of Madhesi Dalit women in the districts of Siraha, Mahottari, Bara, Parsa, and Rautahat in Madhes Province. Drawing on life history interviews with Madhesi Dalit women enrolled in higher education, conducted via snowball sampling, the study is theoretically informed by Bourdieu’s concepts of linguistic capital and symbolic power. The findings highlight that language politics is central to reproducing educational exclusion. The dominance of Nepali in curricula and classroom instruction alienates students whose mother tongues are Maithili, Bhojpuri, or Awadhi, reinforcing hill-centric cultural norms within the education system. Participants reported significant academic and emotional struggles arising from the linguistic disjuncture between home and school, creating a dual burden of language acquisition and cultural adaptation. Nepali-dominant instruction functions not merely as a pedagogical practice but as a mechanism of symbolic exclusion that silences participation and undermines confidence. Linguistic marginalization is compounded by caste-based discrimination, gendered norms, early marriage, domestic labor, and economic insecurity, collectively limiting access to higher education. At the same time, the narratives reveal resilience and agency: women mobilized support through peers, teachers, family encouragement, and Dalit organizations, and some strategically accumulated dominant linguistic capital by mastering Nepali, transforming exclusion into empowerment. These findings underscore the urgent need for inclusive multilingual education policies, stronger institutional mechanisms, and structural reforms to challenge entrenched caste–gender–language hierarchies in Nepal’s education system.

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