This article attempts to understand the process of social exclusion and power relation in a conflict area while focusing on access to land resource and livelihood. Land being one of the productive and livelihood assets in an agrarian society, political economy of land is complex and it has implication on livelihood, power relation and social conflict. Exclusion from resources can be understood through the natural monopoly (the absolute scarcity of land in nature) and the social monopoly (the relative scarcity of land, it is also known as social distribution of land) (Shrestha 2001). The fundamental reason is the question of privileged and non-privileged. Privileged group in terms of class, caste and gender have higher say and voice and therefore can influence the non-privileged groups (Shahbaz 2009; Shahbaz et al. 2010). Accordingly, they maintain hegemony and status quo in unequal agrarian structure. Their livelihood shocks and stress (livelihood insecurity) and inequity/injustice are historically institutionalised and regulated in an agrarian society (Seddon & Hussein 2002).

With the help of empirical research results generated from PhD research 'Landlessness, Livelihood Insecurity and Social Conflict in Far Western Region of Nepal' (Nepali 2011), this study aims to identify social categories (caste, class and gender) which either have access to land resource or not. It also aims to find out process (mechanism) and underlying causes of exclusion especially from the land resources. After identifying social categories, how these groups interact and mutually influence/reinforce each other in an agrarian society. This analysis of power relation was performed through the structural and institutional perspective (North 1990, 2005; Scoones 1998, 2009). Hence, this paper aims to analyse exclusion in relation with power and resource in Nepal.