Progress Report by PhD Fellow

Date: 2080/ 9 /25

January 9, 2024

Submitted to: University Grants Commission

Member Secretary

University Grants Commission

Sanothimi, Bhaktapur

Progress Report by the PhD Fellow

A. Information about the Fellow

1. Fellow’s Name: Uttam Poudel

2. Mobile No.: 9841500431

3. Email: uttampoudel@gmail.com

4. University/Campus: Tribhuvan University

5. Subject: English

6. Date of Registration: 2078/05/20, September, 2021

7. UGC Award No. (According to the agreement): PhD/78_79/H & S-02, Faculty

8. Date of Award: 079/04/23

9. Fiscal Year (according to the agreement): 2078/ 79

10. Subject Cluster: Faculty of Humanities& Social Sciences

11. Specialization: Trauma & Human Rights

12. Title of the Research Project: Traumatic Testimony: Abuse and Advocacy of Human Rights
in Selected Novels

13. Name of Principal Supervisor and Institution: Rtd. Prof Dr. Beerendra Pandey,

TU, Central Department of English, Kirtipur, now Professor & Dean at KIIT School of
Language Bhubaneshwar, India.

14. Name of Co-Supervisor and Institution: After Presentation

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B. Information about the Progress Report

1. Sequence of the Progress Report (1st/2nd): First and Second

C. Details of Progress Made (since the submission of previous progress report) (Please list your
progress and give a brief description. Detail of your proposal is not required. Place the
supplementary documents, if any, in the Annex.)

1 Introduction-

This report includes my PhD research progress from 2078-06-19 to 2079-06-19 (October 5, 2021
to October 5, 2022). This time period is first year of my PhD candidacy. As stated in proposal,
the major goal of my PhD project is to show the power of literature as witnesses of atrocities for
effective human rights advocacy. Moreover, the study aims to examine the selected five novels,
The House Gun (1998) by Nadine Gordimer, Disgrace (1999) by J. M. Coetzee, Anil’s Ghost
(2000) by Michael Ondaatje, Palestine (2003) by Joe Sacco and Murambi, The Book of Bones
(2004) by Boubacar Boris Diop as traumatic testimonies of horrendous events in the history of
different countries and how the narrativizations of these texts take the line of advocacy rather
than abuse for restorative future. My research methodology applies a close discursive analytical
style by drawing upon literary trauma theory, literary approach to human rights advocacy along
with truth and reconciliation discourse as primary theoretical approaches to explore various
dimensions of human rights abuse and trauma thereafter.

2 Progress Report

2.1 Proposal Submitted to Dean Office

In the academic year, 2021, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tribhuvan University
(Dean’s Office) had called for application to interested candidates, having completed M. Phil
Degree to join PhD program. Accordingly, I submitted my proposal entitled “Traumatic
Testimony: Abuse and Advocacy of Human Rights in Selected Novels” at Dean’s office

2.2 Proposal Defense at Dean Office

The Dean’s office informed on August 21, 2021 to defend the proposal and I did it at Dean’s
Office. At that time, Research Committee members and subject experts were present and they
raised the questions, particularly related to title, primary texts, analytical tools, and research
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questions. After the defense, I consulted Prof. Dr. Beerendra Pandey, Pof. Dr. Anirudra Thapa
and Prof. Dr. Jib Lal Sapkota to discuss the comments and suggestions of Research Committee
members and experts. Realizing their constructive suggestion and feedback, I agreed to add
theoretical tools by other scholars and critics like Deleuze and Guattari. In fact, defense at Dean
Office helped me to revise the proposal as experts’ various comments and suggestions were
obviously praiseworthy and fruitful.

2.3 Proposal Defense at CDE

After the correction of my proposal, Dean Office referred me to the Central Department of
English (CDE) for defending the proposal. Then, I submitted the proposal at the department. I
also defended my proposal on September 20, 2021 at CDE. There were some remarkable
comments of experts, particularly on theoretical tools at CDE while defending. Research
Committee Members, Prof. Dr. Dhruba Bahadur Karki Dr. Shiva Rijal, Prof. Dr. Anirudra Thapa
and Prof. Dr. Beerendra Pandey suggested me to read the books by Étienne Balibar, Emmanuel
Levinas and Richard Rorty to get new insights about literature and human rights.

2.4 Consultation with Prof. Dr, Beerendra Pandey

According to the suggestion of department’s Research Committee members, I met Prof Dr.

Beerendra Pandey on September 27, 2021 at his resident, Pepsikola, Kathmandu. For 2.5 hours

he taught me different theoretical tools concerned with my PhD proposal. He told me that my

proposal includes the theoretical tools from the ideas of human rights critics, trauma critics and

critics of truth and reconciliation discourse. At the same time, he suggested me to read Kope

Martina’s Trauma, Narrative, and the Art of Witnessing and Kelly Oliver’s Witnessing: Beyond

Recognition. After consultation of Prof. Dr. Pandey, I got new insights.

2.5 Appointment Prof. Dr. Beerendra Pandey as a Supervisor

As I was consulting from the beginning to revise and modify my proposal, Prof. Dr, Beerendra
Pandey was so helpful and co-operative. Moreover, Prof. Pandey deserves the expertise on
Trauma and Human Rights. Thus, I was interested to work with him in the area of Trauma and
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Human Rights. Moreover, he has been doing research on Traumatic Literature and Human
Rights Literature for the last 14 years. As I had requested, Research Committee of Dean’s
Office approved Prof. Pandey as a supervisor for my PhD project. After his appointment, Prof
Pandey instructed me to write a section of Literature Review (LR). His tutoring warmed up me
to go ahead for writing LR.

2.6 Collection of Books, Journal Articles and Other Materials about Trauma & Human Rights

My constant endeavor as well as suggestion of supervisor helped me collect basic literatures of

Trauma and Human Rights from different libraries, web sources and different shops, which
enhanced me to write the section of Literature Review (LR). The lists of those reference
materials are given in the section of ‘Works Cited’ of LR.

2.7. Professor Pandey left Tribhuvan University and moved to India for an international job.
Since he could not support me anymore due to his busy schedule, he suggested I change my
supervisor. I reached out to the Office of the Dean, Humanities and Social Sciences at TU to
request a change. Eventually, they assigned Professor Dr. Dhruba Bdr Karki as my new
supervisor. I have already submitted my Literature Review and Seminar Paper, and now I'm
waiting to present them at the Central Department of English in Kirtipur, Kathmandu.

2.8 Completion of LR

I have completed Literature Review Portion of my research and I have to present it along with
the seminar paper at Central department of English and University Grants Commission. After
Presentation, my co-supervisor will be appointed.

3 Future Plans for Six Months

As I am continuing my PhD research, I have following future plan for six months: I) Writing
Theoretical Approach II. Textual Analysis III) Submitting Peer Review Journal Article for
Publishing IV) Participating in conference of HR on December 2024.

3. Conclusions
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In this way, this report has described the research aims and also includes the achievements of one
years of my PhD project. Moreover, it has also presented a work plan for future plan for six
months.

b. Problems encountered and solved (if any):

While doing Literature Review, I didn’t face any problem as such except few by not getting
some journal articles, which was later on solved by visiting American Libraries at Chakrapath,
Kathmandu,

c. Overview of what remains to be done

Still, I have to write an introduction and general Map of my dissertation, textual Analysis and
Theoretical portion, etc.

Tentative Chapter Divisions

Tentatively, this dissertation shall have the following chapters:

Chapter I. Introduction: Problematic and Structure of the Dissertation

Chapter II. Methodology: Witnessing and Testimony in Literature, Trauma and Human

Rights Discourse

Chapter III. Witnessing Human Rights Abuse and Power of Narrativization in Michael

Ondaatje’s Anil’s Ghost and Boubacar Boris Dipo’s Murambi, The Book of

Bones

Chapter IV. Truth and Reconciliation Testimony and Restorative Justice in Nadine

Gordimer’s The House Gun and J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace

Chapter V. Traumatic Testimony and Tropes of Human Rights Advocacy in Joe Sacco’s

Palestine

Chapter VI. Conclusion: Role of Literary Testimony in Human Rights Advocacy

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d. Updated Grant Chart

Year/Month Work Planning

II year (6 months) Collecting Materials for Theoretical Frameworks

II Year (6 months) Writing Third Chapter: Textual Analysis

III Year( 6 months): Fourth Chapter : Textual Analysis and Conclusion

III Year (6 months) -Editing, Submission and Final Defense of Dissertation

-Publication of Peer Review Journal Articles

e. Academic activities (Conference, Training, Academic Event and Student Guidance:

(1-2 pages)

D. Financial Statement
a. Total fund received from the UG: Not yet received.
b. Expenditure (list all expenditure)
Budget Cost during the First Year PhD Study (Presented in NPR)(April 2017-April 2018)

Day
Total
SN Particular or Unit Cost Remarks
Cost
Unit
1. Dry Laboratory/Library/Office Costs
Rs.60,00
1.1 Books + Journals Purchase
0
Rs.
1.2 Stationary Materials
18,000
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Revision
and
1.3 Literature Review & Seminar Paper 10 Rs. 20,00
printing
100 pages
Rs
Laptop
1.3 80,000
Out of Rs.
2,00,000 I
Rs. had taken
TOTAL
1,60,000 Rs.
1,60,000
in advance
c. Net (debit/credit):
E. Annexes
a. Approval by the Supervisor (comment on progress, recommendations)
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Prof. Dr. Dhruba Bdr. Karki, Central Department of English, TU, Kirtipur
(Principal Supervisor)