MODERNITY, MIGRATION AND MOBILES: SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE IN DAREL VALLEY, GILGIT-BALTISTAN

Abstract

I first visited Darel Valley in the Diamer District of Gilgit-Baltistan in 2000 and returned in 2001, 2006, 2009, 2017, 2019 and 2023. During these visits, I noticed considerable differences in everyday life from what I had observed during my earlier fieldwork. Migration, education, greater mobility and the arrival of new communication technologies were among the developments I observed over these years. This paper is based on key informant and semi-structured interviews, participant observation and informal conversations conducted during these visits. Special attention is given to migration to Rawalpindi, Abbottabad and Karachi, the spread of mobile phones and television, attitudes towards weapons and tribal feuds, and changes in material culture, dress, food, music and grooming. Some locally made objects and older customs became less common during my fieldwork. Shaloro, associated with the first snowfall in upper Darel, had largely declined, while Rashi/Nasalo, the preparation and storage of dried meat for winter, continued because of its practical importance during the severe winter months. My field observations show that newer ways of living did not replace older practices at the same pace throughout the valley.