The serimónia network: economic mobilisation through rituals in the hamlet of Faulara, Liquiçá

This chapter addresses some economic aspects of the ritual exchange regime in Timor-Leste. Drawing on quantitative data gathered in the village of Faulara (Liquiçá municipality) through a household survey and a qualitative case study on the marriage rituals involving a particular household, we show how ceremonies structured around fertility-giver/fertility-taker (umane/mane-foun) relations constitute only a small part of ritual activity in which other types of relationships such as neighbourhood and friendship play a central role as well. Building on that and considering the ritual exchange regime in a broader way, we show how the ritual exchange regime can work as a credit and savings union as well as a safety and solidarity network. In a broader theoretical perspective, we analyse how people use rituals as an economic mechanism and propose that they serve to ensure the economic security and redistribution embedded in kinship and everyday social networks.Depto. de Antropología Social y Psicología SocialFac. de Ciencias Políticas y SociologíaTRUEpu

Afoteuza, Ciudad Deportiva del Celta, Mos-Pontevedra. El fútbol se juega junto al bosque

Los terrenos en los que se ha desarrollado esta primera fase del proyecto, pertenecientes a la Comunidad de Montes de la Parroquia de Pereiras, se sitúan en Chan da Cruz, Parroquia de Cela, término municipal de Mos, en el límite con el Ayuntamiento de Vigo. Al igual que los terrenos colindantes, se trata de una zona de bosque. La integración del edificio en la parcela, asumiendo el desnivel de esta, la recuperación en el paisaje de árboles frondosos del lugar, brezos y toxos, y un sistema de tratamiento y acumulación de las aguas pluviales hacen que esta edificación y su urbanización sean autónomas y sostenibles

Personas y objetos en Timor Oriental: relaciones lulik entre entidades

El objetivo de este artículo es mostrar cómo los habitantes de una pequeña aldea rural de Timor Oriental conceptualizan su manera de relacionarse con algunos objetos. Mediante cinco estudios de caso, veremos cómo a estos se les atribuye una normatividad de uso y agencia que al transgredirse puede tener efectos negativos sobre la integridad física o moral de las personas. Esta violación de la normatividad, referida localmente como lulik, ayuda a construir y negociar las fronteras del ámbito doméstico mediante el enrolamiento discursivo y práctico de objetos de la vida cotidiana. Finalmente, mostramos cómo se hace necesario prestar atención a algunos elementos de las culturas materiales locales de los timorenses para comprender los procesos de construcción de identidades colectivas

The politics of ritual. Traditional authorities and social discourses in the nahe biti ritual in Faulara (Liquiçá district), Timor-Leste

This paper describes a particular stage of the ritual cycle related with the production of rice, called nahe biti, and the actors who take part on it in the hamlet of Faulara (District of Liquiçá –Timor Leste). Local narratives and discourses related with the nahe biti and the position of the ritual leader, the rai na´in kaer bua malus are also described. The paper analyzes the different social positions with respect to the power sourced by the access to the ritual practice and shows how rather than a mechanical obedience to a set of static principles, the ritual brings along a constant negotiation between the different actors, who struggle to impose their views of the different narratives that provide legitimacy to the ritual power, discursively shaping a more favorable scenario for themselves. These discourses and strategies have to be understood as immersed not only in the occurrences of the local community but also as part of the wider political economy and the current changes Timor Leste is living

Webs of Legitimacy and Discredit: Narrative Capital and Politics of Ritual in a Timor-Leste Community

This article explores the interconnections among origin narratives, migration patterns and ritual authority in a Timor-Leste community. By recognising the dimension of rituals as sources of power, we analyse the different ways social actors negotiate their position in social space by either supporting or contesting the legitimacy of the ritual leaders. We suggest how, in a context with historical levels of high migration and immersed in rapid social change, precedence is not only challenged by modern ideals around individual rights and choices, but by the re-interpretation of mythical narratives and the access to ritual performance. The paper provides a discussion of the notion of narrative capital and shows how subordinated classes resulting from development policies from past state regimes articulate new forms of social mobility in the contemporary context of rural Timor-Leste

Ethnographic filmmaking as narrative capital enhancement among Atauro diverwomen: a theoretical exploration

This article reports on a project involving the development and release of an ethnographic film about the women divers of Atauro Island, Timor- Leste, and suggests a theoretical framework to interpret its outcomes. It describes the project aims and the filmmaking process, and reports on its results. In doing so, the paper explores the potential use of an agent- based concept of narrative capital focused on collective agents. The article suggests that the ideas of narrative capital and transformations of capital by collective agents can provide a valuable interpretative framework for the design, implementation, and analyses of results of development interventions involving filmmaking

Linking Gender, Diving and Filmmaking: Conceptualising Film Outcomes as Narrative Capital Gains in the Making of Wawata Topu (Women Divers) in West Atauro, Timor-Leste

Wawata Topu is a documentary portraying a group of women divers in Atauro Island, Timor-Leste. Initially aimed at increasing the visibility of women’s roles in the fisheries sector, the filmmaking process brought along a practical negotiation between the community and the filmmakers on the topics to be included in the film. This paper describes the filmmaking process, reports on the final contents of the film, and explains the reasons the different themes were included. Based on a previous theoretical exploration on the notion of narrative capital, we suggest that this process of negotiation resulted in the enhancement of the women’s narrative capabilities. After the release of the film, the protagonists were able to transform their enhanced capacity to be heard and acknowledged into social and symbolic resources leading to economic and health benefits

Oceans without history? Marine Cultural Heritage and the sustainable development agenda

This paper aims to set out the role Marine Cultural Heritage (MCH) can play in informing responses to global challenges and enhancing the sustainable development of coastal zones. This requires recognition of the importance of MCH as a knowledge base amongst marine ocean scientists, policy makers and marine stakeholders on the one hand and a greater effort by marine heritage specialists to engage with the 2030 Agenda on the other. The forthcoming UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) provides an opportunity to engage with the sea more widely but it is argued that the cultural element provided by considering past human action is currently lacking. The importance of understanding human interaction with the sea in terms of gaining a more complete picture of human history is briefly presented and a definition of MCH as all past action in the human zone is given. The article then sets out how MCH can enhance sustainable development in the marine zone with particular reference to SDG14 considering heritage tourism, coastal development and infrastructure, development aid policy, climate change, coastal management, fisheries and the offshore industry. The article highlights that the knowledge and data from MCH should be seen as crucial in evidence-based decision making across the coastal and marine sectors. The paper concludes that the inclusion of MCH approaches in initiatives aiming at coastal and ocean sustainability is not just advisable—it is essentia

Reensamblando ontologías en tensión: Sincretismo y anti-sincretismo en los encuentros entre el catolicismo y la kultura en Timor Oriental

El objetivo de este artículo es explorar las relaciones entre la religión católica y la kultura en Timor-Leste desde una perspectiva histórica y antropológica. Pretendemos mostrar que la relación entre ambas se produce mediante una tensa coexistencia y que no se trata apenas de un sincretismo, resultado de la mezcla de elementos tomados de ambas. Para ello veremos cómo ambos regímenes de creencias se apropian de conceptos ajenos a su liturgia y los resignifican representándolos desde sus propios principios cosmovisvos. Veremos también, mediante un análisis del discurso de un especialista ritual, cómo éste manipula activamente entidades no-humanas de ambos regímenes de creencias, reensamblándolos de un modo que le beneficia, con el objetivo de reforzar su posición en la jerarquía social. Así, mostramos cómo el análisis del enrolamiento de este tipo de entidades en el discurso se hace fundamental para entender los mecanismos de adquisición y distribución de poder en el país