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

The 2006 IDPs Crisis in East Timor. An Anthropological Approach

Este artículo analiza la crisis que originó el problema de los desplazados internos de los años 2006-2008 en Timor Oriental. Para ello ubico el conflicto dentro del marco histórico, político, social y cultural en que tuvo lugar. Posteriormente realizo un análisis de algunos de los problemas que han enfrentado las intervenciones de emergencia al tratar de resolver la crisis. El objetivo del presente artículo consiste en explicar de manera aproximada cómo determinados fallos, habidos en la elaboración de políticas orientadas a la solución del fenómeno, fueron causados por no haber contemplado el escenario cultural y las dimensiones locales en las que había surgido o incluso la habían causado. Como conclusión propongo que tener más en cuenta los contextos locales puede resultar beneficioso para mejorar el diseño de políticas de intervención humanitaria.This paper analyzes the 2006-2008 IDPs the crisis occurred in Timor. For this, I explore the conflict in its historical, social, cultural and political context. After that, I examine some of the problems that the intervention of humanitarian aid faced while trying to solve the crisis. The aim of the paper is to explain in a roughly way how some of the problems with the policy designed to solve the crisis were caused for not considering the socio-cultural context and local dimensions in which the crisis took place and, in some cases, triggered it. As I conclusion I propose that taking the local context more in consideration could give some good insights for the design of humanitarian interventions.Depto. de Antropología Social y Psicología SocialFac. de Ciencias Políticas y SociologíaTRUEpu

Os la’o-rai contra-atacam. Escritura, fontes orais e enrolamento do Estado na luta pelo poder na aldeia de Faulara

Este artigo trata sobre as tensões e lutas pelo poder entre dois grupos sociais de pessoas que moram na aldeia de Faulara: os originais do local (rai-na’in) e os imigrantes (la’o-rai). Nele, analisaremos um documento escrito em 2003 dirigido para a então administradora do subdistrito de Liquiçá no que os la’o-rai pedem o reconhecimento oficial do suco Laueli-Lau (conhecido localmente pelo nome de Faulara) por parte da RDTL. Mostro como algumas tensões comunitárias da vida em Faulara informam a construção textual do documento, selecionando de maneira interessada alguns elementos da história oral do lugar e omitindo outros. Veremos também como as brigas pelo poder travam disputas em uma lógica de campos que, acumulados, funcionam como um dos mecanismos por meio dos quais pessoas estabelecem precedência social entre eles. Finalmente, sinalarei algumas hipóteses sobre o porquê a solicitude de reconhecimento de Faulara como suco não foi exitosa

Os materiais de construção

Depto. de Antropología Social y Psicología SocialFac. de Ciencias Políticas y SociologíaFALSEpu

Una visión panorámica de los estudios antropológicos sobre Timor-Leste desde 2002: veinte años de antropología en un país soberano

Las investigaciones antropológicas profesionales realizadas en Timor-Leste, iniciadas durante los últimos años del colonialismo portugués, se vieron frenadas tras la ocupación indonesia. Durante ese periodo se llevaron a cabo mayoritariamente estudios antropológicos promovidos por el propio Estado indonesio que tenían como objetivo último legitimar la ocupación. Con la restauración de la independencia y el retorno de la soberanía, se dio un resurgimiento de los estudios antropológicos, que en un primer momento se centraron en trabajos orientados al diseño de políticas de reconstrucción y desarrollo, así como de derechos humanos. Pasados los años, y después de que el interés por Timor-Leste como país reabierto a la investigación se ha ido atenuando, otros temas han surgido. En este artículo examino el panorama de las diferentes investigaciones realizadas en los últimos veinte años de antropología en el país

Dinámicas políticas y económicas en el dominio ritual y la vida cotidiana en Timor Oriental :estudios de caso desde la aldeia de Faulara

[Resumen]Esta tesis es una monografía etnográfica realizada en Timor-Leste, país del Sudeste Asiático, que se centra de modo principal –aunque no únicamente– en una aldeia del distrito de Liquiçá llamada Faulara (Lepa). El núcleo de la investigación se enmarca dentro del ámbito de la antropología del ritual, siendo el problema inicial de investigación la comprensión de la relevancia que los rituales tienen como elementos de estructuración de la sociedad y de la economía en Timor-Leste en una coyuntura histórica de posconflicto y de rápido cambio social. El objetivo general es contribuir al conocimiento actual del papel del ritual en un contexto posconflictivo, así como analizar las transformaciones habidas en el dominio ritual derivadas de los drásticos procesos de cambio recientes en las esferas política, económica, social y cultural.[Resumo]Esta tese é unha monografía etnográfica realizada en Timor-Leste, país do Sueste Asiático, que se centra de modo principal –aínda que non unicamente– nunha aldeia do distrito de Liquiçá chamada Faulara. O núcleo da investigación enmárcase dentro do ámbito da antropoloxía do ritual, sendo o problema inicial de investigación a comprensión da relevancia que os rituais teñen como elementos de estruturación da sociedade e da economía en Timor-Leste nunha conxuntura histórica de posconflito e de rápido cambio social. O obxectivo xeral é contribuír ao coñecemento actual do papel do ritual nun contexto posconflitivo, así como analizar as transformacións habidas no dominio ritual derivadas dos drásticos procesos de cambio recentes nas esferas política, económica, social e cultural.[Abstract]This thesis is an ethnographic account done in Timor-Leste, a Southeast Asian country, focused mainly but not only in an aldeia of Liquiçá district, called Faulara. Framed within the field of the anthropology of ritual, the research problem is the comprehension of the relevance that rituals have as structuring elements of economy and society in a context of post-conflict and rapid social change. The aim is to contribute to the current understanding of the role of ritual in a post-conflict context, and to analyse the transformations within the ritual domain derived from the processes of recent drastic changes in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres

An Approach to the Food Habits of Three Communities in Timor-Leste

This report is the outcome of a 29 day consultancy with CARE International in Timor-Leste (CITL) for the food security and nutrition program, funded by Hadia Agricultura no Nutrisuan [Improving Agriculture and Nutrition] (HAN) and “Promoting Healthy Lives” (PROMISE). Since 2010, CITL has been implementing the EU funded HAN project in the districts of Ermera, Liquiçá and Bobonaro. These are considered to be the most food insecure districts in the country. HAN has been working with approximately 2,800 food-insecure households in order to address the inter-related issues of food availability, access, use, as well as resilience to natural disasters. Approaches have included interventions in agriculture and farming to improve productivity, facilitating people’s access to markets, development of financial services to generate income, improvement of dietary practices and health services, community based disaster management to improve better year round food security. In December 2012, the Norwegian-funded health program PROMISE was established to improve health and nutrition within the poorest households of Ermera and Liquiçá districts. PROMISE has been working with the HAN project to achieve the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) by enhancing practices in the areas of maternal and child health, sanitation and hygiene, as well as improving production and daily consumption of nutritious food at the household level. CITL commissioned this consultancy which has the aim of uncovering social factors, traditional and cultural practices, behaviors and believes related to food use and consumption that might be affecting the nutritional status of the most vulnerable people in the area of study. The study was implemented in the CITL area of intervention, specifically in two sukus in Liquiçá district, Dato and Asumanu, and one in Ermera district in the suku of Malabe The study analyses some semantic aspects related to food; the valorization of food items and how food choices are based on them; local knowledge-based taxonomies (folk taxonomies) and the relationship between food belief systems. This analysis is predominantly drawn from key case studies that will be discussed in the following sections and allow the reader to get a glimpse of the extreme complexities surrounding food systems in Timor-Leste. This report will highlight the following culturally-linked themes governing food habits in Timor-Leste: social status is linked to food; there exists an underlying classificatory binary system: “hot”/”cold”, “hard”/“soft” which is related to human biology and social development and ultimately makes up an ethno-medical system; there are lineage-related taboos governing food choices, and finally, the regime of consuming animal meat during rituals drives food production

O mundo dos objectos

Depto. de Antropología Social y Psicología SocialFac. de Ciencias Políticas y SociologíaFALSEpu