Center for the Study of Knowledge, Materials, and Materiality (KaMM Center)

About Us

The Center for the Study of Knowledge, Materials and Materiality (KaMM Center) is a non-profit organization focused on research, public history, and digital humanities.

The KaMM Center seeks to understand how processes, skills, and technologies are organized across different places and periods. Our research focuses on the knowledge systems and materials that shape these processes, with an emphasis on how they are embedded in everyday life, memory, and social relations.

Grounded in Nepal, where many of us live and work, our questions and interests extend beyond national borders, following the movements of people, ideas, and materials across the region. We attend particularly to the region north of the Siwaliks hills. This landscape is central to our research, not as a marginal space, but as a distinct region with its own historical trajectories, geographical affordances, and forms of purposeful striving. While our approach is informed by a broader South Asian context, our starting point lies in the particular textures and experiences of this terrain. 

Committed to making scholarship accessible and widely available., we create exhibitions, develop digital content, and publish books for readers of different ages. 

KAMM is fiscally hosted in Nepal by Martin Chautari and KAMM USA is fiscally hosted by the Climate Justice Hive in Boulder.

Meet People Behind KaMM Center

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Surabhi Pudasaini

Research Director

Surabhi is a historian investigating cultures of skill, knowledge, technology, and work, focusing on Nepal and places north of the Siwalik Range. She is currently writing her first monograph titled Prospecting, Processing, Portering: Cultures and Practices of Mining in the 18th to 20th Gorkhali Polity. She completed her PhD in History from the University of Chicago in 2024, with a dissertation titled Making and Knowing in the 19th Century Gorkhali Polity, which examined the intersections of knowledge, labor, and governance. Before academia, she had a decade-long career as a journalist, activist, and non-profit founder based in Kathmandu.

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Samyojeeta Acharya

Research Associate

Samyojeeta is a social scientist and legal professional dedicated to the intersection of law, the humanities, and public policy. Her work focuses on exploring how institutional frame works can better support socio-economic justice, participatory politics, and community-led development. She brings a multidisciplinary perspective to these challenges, holding a law degree complemented by an MA in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago. In her freetime, she likes collecting interesting facts. If you ever meet her, ask her an interesting fact about turtles.

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Ramila Tamang

Project Manager

Ramila is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) at King’s College. With hands-on experience in sales and outreach, she brings a strong background in communication, team coordination, and community engagement. Known for her passion for public speaking, volunteering, and creative expression, Ramila thrive’s in environments that value growth, impact, and collaboration.

Join Us

Whether you are an academic in search of sources, a student following a lesser-known thread, or a curious visitor drawn in by an image or a question, you are welcome here.  If you would like to collaborate, do contact us.