Land and Life in Timor-Leste, Ethnographic Essays

Judul	:	Land and Life in Timor-Leste, Ethnographic Essays
Editor	:	Andrew McWilliam dan Elizabeth G. Traube
Penerbit	:	The Australian National University E Press Canberra
Bahasa	:	Inggris
Tahun Cetak	:	2011
Halaman	:	264
ISBN	:	9781921862601 (ebook)
Sumber	:	https://press.anu.edu.au
Download	:	Di Sini

In the aftermath of the Indonesian occupation (1975–99) and the bittersweet triumph of the resistance struggle, Timor-Leste emerged as the frst new nation of the twenty-frst century. The path to independence, however, was a rocky one and left a deep legacy of sufering and social dislocation. In the chaotic withdrawal of Indonesian forces, a fnal bout of violence, property destruction and population displacement left the half-island nation a smoking ruin under the protection of a multinational peacekeeping force: the International Force for East Timor (Interfet).

Ten years on, the process of rebuilding continues. A constitutional democratic system of parliamentary government has been established, oil and gas revenues now provide sustainable funds for much needed infrastructure, and government services are gradually being reinstated to support economic livelihoods for a growing population. Social life in the villages and scattered settlements is once again focused on the seasonal rhythm of agriculture and the rituals of exchange that mark life-cycle ceremonies and the conduct of rural sociality. Still, the path to a peaceful prosperity has not been without setbacks—most dramatically exemplifed in the round of inter-communal violence and property destruction that erupted in the capital, Dili, during 2006. The intense period of civil disorder was fuelled by a powerful mix of ethnicised political and economic rivalries, corrosive youth unemployment and tensions over housing. If independence was built on the unity of struggle and shared sufering, the post-independence landscape is a more fragmented mosaic of crosscutting positions, competing claims and aspirations.