Building the nation in Timor-Leste and its implications for the country's democratic development

Şahin, Selver B.

doi:10.1080/10357718.2011.550105

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In Timor-Leste, where the exercise of social and political power is legitimised through an ordered hierarchy that involves kinship, age, class and gender, the political setting in the postindependence era privileges particular societal interests represented by older-generation male leaders such as Xanana Gusmão, Taur Matan Ruak, José Ramos-Horta and others, who come from the historically privileged classes such as the liurai-dato or mestiços (mixed race), and those of veterans in the modern nation-state (Niner, 2020). Even though the country was largely regarded as a success story for UN-led peacebuilding, the outbreak of the 2006 crisis, which originated within the nation's military, exposed how power struggles between competing groups permeated the institution-building process (Sahin, 2011). 2…”

Section: The First Step: Quantitative Change -Gender Quotasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s Political Participation in Post-conflict Settings: The Case of Timor-Leste

Niner

Cummins²,

Şahin

et al. 2021

Asian Studies Review

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Tackling gender gaps in political representation is a key pillar of peace building and development interventions in conflict-affected environments, which has been addressed using special measures (e.g., gender quotas and reserved seats). We argue that although this is a necessary first step, these interventions privilege descriptive or quantitative indicators that may not equate to the substantive participation of women. Instead, a focus on qualitative transformation of deeply entrenched inequitable social structures is required. Our argument is illustrated by the case study of Timor-Leste, where control of political institutions is held by a small group of privileged, male leaders, legitimised by a rigidly defined social hierarchy. We argue that any special measures need to be accompanied by social change that provides equality of opportunity for participants within political parties, political institutions and electoral systems. By providing this analysis the article aims to contribute to the discussion of the ways in which gendered structural limitations can be better identified and addressed to promote more effective participation by women in politics in post-conflict settings.

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Section: The First Step: Quantitative Change -Gender Quotasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s Political Participation in Post-conflict Settings: The Case of Timor-Leste

Niner

Cummins²,

Şahin

et al. 2021

Asian Studies Review

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“…Timor-Leste's path to political independence, which followed centuries of foreign rule, also marked the beginning of another challenging process: nation-state-building. The building of the East Timorese nationstate entailed, among other things, improving the effectiveness of its newly created state institutions and consolidating its political identity (Sahin 2011). After all, the capacity of states to maintain their existence as a cohesive territorial entity, as Campbell rightly points out, becomes possible "only by virtue of their ability to constitute themselves as imagined communities" (Campbell 1998: 195).…”

Section: The Definition Of Timor-leste's Regional Affiliations As a Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the case of Timor-Leste, the resolution of two important issues occupied a central place in the production of the boundaries of the identity of the newly established state: One was the choice of the country's main languages, which became a divisive topic as the promotion of Portuguese alienated the country's youth, who felt excluded from the post-independence nation-statebuilding process dominated by Timorese leaders of older generations (Nurbaiti 2001). The re-institution of the former coloniser's language as one of the two official languages of the state more than two decades after Portugal's departure was a political decision (Sahin 2011). It was influenced by both material and non-material factors.…”

Section: The Definition Of Timor-leste's Regional Affiliations As a Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Timor-Leste's Foreign Policy: Securing State Identity in the Post-Independence Period

Şahin

2014

Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs

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This paper examines some of the major ideational aspects of Timor-Leste's foreign policy orientation in the post-independence period. Drawing upon the constructivist accounts of state behaviour, the paper situates Timorese leaders’ foreign policy decisions in the broader context of their search to position the fledging nation in the global political order. It argues that Timor-Leste's insecure state identity has shaped its leaders’ foreign policy preferences in the post-independence period. This identity can be examined by separating it into two parts: the construction of spatial boundaries and the creation of a temporal “other”. The former is evidenced by the leadership's rhetorical emphasis on the country's Portuguese heritage and their prioritisation of ASEAN membership, both of which are closely related to the consolidation of the young nation's political and cultural identity. The creation of a temporal other, as illustrated by the rise of political discourse emphasising sovereignty, reflects a wider transitional process that is embedded in the country's transformation from colony to independent state under international supervision as well as the state's transformation from “fragile” or “failing” to “stable”. A detailed analysis of the basic aspects of Timor-Leste's insecurities as a constitutive element of its foreign policy becomes instrumental to understanding the country's nation-state-building experience since its separation from Indonesia in 1999, as it enters a new phase of socio-political structuring following the withdrawal of the international security presence in 2012.

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“…This socio-political transformation in Timor-Leste is seen in safe and fair elections, and will be underscored by political power and wealth being redistributed amongst a variety of competing societal interests [66].…”

Section: Present State Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fragile States, Infectious Disease and Health Security: The Case for Timor-Leste

Quinn

Martins

Cunha

et al. 2014

Journal of Human Security

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Timor-Leste is a very young and developing nation state. Endemic infectious disease and weakened health security coupled with its growing and inclusive public institutions keep Timor-Leste fragile and in transition on the spectrum of state stability. The objective here is to systematically review Timor-Leste's state and public health successes, showing how a fragile state can consistently improve its status on the continuum of stability and improve health security for the population. The case study follows a state case study approach, together with a disease burden review and a basic description of the health portrait in relation to Timor-Leste's fragile state status. Disease burden and health security are directly proportional to state stability and indirectly proportional to state failure. Timor-Leste is a clear example of how public health can feed into increased state stability. Our discussion attempts to describe how the weak and fragile island nation of Timor-Leste can continue on its current path of transition to state stability by increasing health security for its citizens. We surmise that this can be realized when public policy focuses on primary healthcare access, inclusive state institutions, basic hygiene and preventative vaccination programs. Based on our review, the core findings indicate that by

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Building the nation in Timor-Leste and its implications for the country's democratic development

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

Women’s Political Participation in Post-conflict Settings: The Case of Timor-Leste

Women’s Political Participation in Post-conflict Settings: The Case of Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste's Foreign Policy: Securing State Identity in the Post-Independence Period

Fragile States, Infectious Disease and Health Security: The Case for Timor-Leste

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