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https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/56512
Title: | Peacebuilding and the Timorese Diaspora: Opportunity or Opportunism? |
Contributor(s): | de Almeida, Ursula Amelia (author) ; Garnett, Johanna (supervisor) ; Ware, Helen (supervisor) |
Conferred Date: | 2023-10-26 |
Copyright Date: | 2022 |
Open Access: | Yes |
Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/56512 |
Related Research Outputs: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/56513 |
Abstract: | | This study looks at the Australian Timorese diaspora to answer the question: what roles did
the diaspora play in conflict transformation processes in Timor-Leste? Participants in the
research include Timorese Australians who had left before 1998 and returned to Timor-Leste;
Timorese scholarship students who studied at Australian universities, since they most likely
had contact with Timorese Australian communities, and development workers who have
worked in Timor-Leste. There is an increasing interest in diaspora and their roles in
peacebuilding in their home countries. This thesis aims to contribute to this field of research
by describing lessons learnt after 20 years of independence in Timor-Leste. Furthermore, this
thesis provides an analysis of diasporas’ roles in peacebuilding and development, noting their
ability to move between insider and outsider roles. Interview data were analysed along three
key themes: diaspora returning to Timor-Leste; perceptions of diaspora Timorese, and nation building. Using indigenous and autoethnographic methodologies, together with reflexive thematic analysis, it was found that Timorese diaspora and student participants have a strong sense of cultural identity, experiences of resistance and resilience, and feeling of belonging to
the Timorese nation-state. Many factors created divisions between returning diaspora and the
local Timorese. These include peacebuilding programs led by international organisations,
changes in working languages, trauma, and political conflicts. By building connections,
grass-roots Timorese, Timorese diaspora, returned Timorese students, development workers,
and stakeholders can collaborate on the development of Timor-Leste
Publication Type: | Thesis Masters Research |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 440303 Migration 440810 Peace studies 449901 Studies of Asian society |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 230301 Defence and security policy 230304 International political economy (excl. international trade) 230399 International relations not elsewhere classified |
HERDC Category Description: | T1 Thesis - Masters Degree by Research |
Appears in Collections: | School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Thesis Masters Research
|
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