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Frederick H. Gaige papers and research on Nepal

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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Frederick H. Gaige, born in 1937, was an educator and expert on Nepal. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from Oberlin College; his master's degree in history from Brown University, probably in 1963; and his doctoral degree in South Asian studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 1970. According to an obituary, Gaige was a noted scholar in the field of South Asian studies and became an early expert on Nepal, where he did research on a Fulbright Fellowship from 1966 to 1968. His research culminated in the publication of Regionalism and National Unity in Nepal, a work which is still considered a valuable resource. He returned to Nepal as a Fulbright Lecturer in 1983.

Much of his career was spent as an educator. In 1969, he worked at Davidson College, in North Carolina, as director of the South Asian studies program; from 1974 to 1977, he served as vice president for professional development of the Kansas City Regional Council for Higher Education; and from 1977 to 1984, he served as dean of Fairleigh Dickinson University's College of Arts and Sciences at the Madison, New Jersey, campus. The end of his career as an educator was spent at Penn State Berks from 1984 to 2001, as dean and CEO emeritus, where he "help[ed] to transform the campus into a college with four-year academic programs and residence halls." He retired from this position on January 31, 2001

Throughout his career, his involvement and interest in Nepal continued, and he was involved in the establishment of the Nepal Studies Association (1970) and the Southern Atlantic States Association for African and Asian Studies (1971); and in 1991, he served as a consultant to the Asia Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development on the first democratic elections in Nepal. He was also continuously involved in the advocacy for educational programs and advancement, working for the establishment of the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (1976); serving as a founding member of the Higher Education Council of Berks County, and serving as a member of the Reading School District.

He died on August 25, 2009, at the age of 72.

This collection consists of papers and research compiled by Frederick H. Gaige, largely during the years of his education at the University of Pennsylvania and during his Fulbright Fellowship in Nepal from 1966 to 1968. Much of this research was probably conducted for the writing of his influential book, Regionalism and National Unity in Nepal, which was published in 1975. In this collection, researchers will find a few published newsletters and volumes on the census of Nepal from 1958 to 1963; but the bulk of the material is papers and articles, probably given during conferences or seminars or simply shared amongst colleagues. Topics of these papers include boundary disputes; climate and economic development; domestic and economic structures in India, generally, and Nepal specifically; Hinduism; international relations (Pakistan and United States, especially); and politics.

Gaige appears to have been involved in the Peace Corps in Nepal and there are notes and reports by Gaige aimed towards volunteers as well as several publications issued by the American Peace Corps. There are several pieces of writing by Gaige, two of which were class assignments, relating to India and Nepal.

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Finding Aid Author
Holly Mengel
Finding Aid Date
2019 February 2
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

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Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

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Ceylon Newsletter, issued by the Embassy of Ceylon, 1970 September, November.
Box 1 Folder 1
Conference and seminar papers relating to international relations, politics, boundary disputes, and values of Nepal (probably from conferences attended by Gaige), 1963-1970.
Box 1 Folder 2
Hinduism article, "The Nature of Hinduism," by D.S. Sarma, undated.
Box 1 Folder 3
India's climate and development strategy, article, newspaper clipping, and publication, 1963, 1970, undated.
Box 1 Folder 4
India's foreign relations, including Pakistan and the United States, papers and publications, 1957-1966.
Box 1 Folder 5
Indian villages and households, papers and sketch, 1964, undated.
Box 1 Folder 6
Nepal census: "Census of Population of Nepal, 1952/54 A.D.," issued by Department of Statistics, Kathmandu, Nepal, 1958.
Box 1 Folder 7
Nepal census (in Nepali), 1961.
Box 1 Folder 8
Nepal census: "Population Projection for Nepal, 1955-1975," by Harsha Nath Thakur, Central Bureau of Statistics, 1963.
Box 1 Folder 7
Peace Corps, notes and reports by Gaige for volunteers and publications, 1961-1969.
Box 1 Folder 9
Posters (in Nepali) and calendar for 1971 with Indian holidays and events, 1971, undated.
Drawer 100 Folder unknown container
Writings and/or classwork by Gaige: "Nepal Between India and China: Search for an Independent Policy," abstract for South Asia Regional Studies Seminar, 1964 January 23.
Box 1 Folder 10
Writings and/or classwork by Gaige: Book review of The Guardians, Volume II of the The Men Who Ruled India, by Philip Woodruff, for South Asia 501, 1964 November 16.
Box 1 Folder 10
Writings and/or classwork by Gaige: Book reports for The English Utilitarians and India, by Eric Stokes and British Attitudes Toward India, 1784-1858, by George D. Bearce, for History 590, 1965 November 15.
Box 1 Folder 10

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