Leaving Langtang

Published in The Earth Moved: Surviving the 2015 Nepal Earthquake, this work emerges from an ongoing research project in Nepal, commenced in 2011 as part of the Himalayan Exploration and Archaeological Research Team (HEART; established by Dr Hayley Saul). Within the field of heritage and conservation studies, current international focus has been placed on the recovery and restoration of tangible heritage artefacts damaged or lost in the 2015 earthquake. Far less attention has been placed on understanding the devastating social and intangible effects of this natural catastrophe. “Leaving Langtang”, and the wider collection within which it sits, addresses this lacuna by adopting a narrative approach that closely describes the politics of loss surrounding the 2015 earthquake, particularly in the village of Langtang. Adopting an affective lens emerging from the broader literature on emotional geographies, “Leaving Langtang” seeks to help readers arrive at a deeper understanding of the terror, destruction and loss felt by the many people affected. Any efforts aimed at heritage conservation and recovery must first understand this complex emotional landscape and associated reality of loss if they are to achieve any measure of impact.