Description
Book SynopsisFrom a much neglected Portuguese colony to independence, Timor-Leste travelled a belated, long and troubled journey that included a 24-year Indonesian occupation. A classic process of European decolonization (1974–1975) was followed by a nationalist struggle against “Third World Colonialism” (1975–1999), and a final phase under the direct aegis of the United Nations (1999–2002). More than a direct relation between coloniser and colonised, this turbulent process involved the participation of many different actors scattered around the world. The “Timor Issue” brought to the scene a martyred people’s determination, the diplomacy of several nations (friends or foes), the involvement of the United Nations, and the activism of solidarity networks. This collection adopts a transnational approach that highlights the complexity of Timor-Leste’s road to independence.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
A Note on the Name of the Country
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
INTRODUCTION
Timor-Leste’s Long Road to Independence: Outline for an Analytical Framework (Zélia Pereira & Rui Graça Feijó)
PART ONE - BEFORE THE PORTUGUESE DECOLONISATION
1.While the Winds of Change Gently Blow. Timor-Leste before the Onset of the Portuguese Decolonisation, 1945–1974 (Rui Graça Feijó)
2. Elusive Colonialism in the Age of Bandung: Portugal, Timor-Leste and Indonesia, c.1947–1974 (Pedro Aires Oliveira)
3. An “Undigestible Lump:” Timor-Leste and the Politics of Self-determination (Brad Simpson)
PART TWO - THE PORTUGUESE REVOLUTION ARRIVES IN TIMOR-LESTE
1. Nations of Intent: Competing Ideological Views of Nationalism in Timor-Leste, 1974–1999 (Michael Leach)
2. Looking for a “Honourable Political Solution:” the
Comissão Nacional de Descolonização and the Fate of Timor-Leste, 1974–1976 (Zélia Pereira)
3. “
Canções Revolucionárias:” Rhetoric, Hermeneutic and Ideology Critique (Martinho G. da Silva Gusmão)
PART THREE - REACTION TO THE INDONESIAN INVASION OF TIMOR-LESTE
1. “Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t:” Portugal, the UN and the Timor-Leste Issue (Zélia Pereira)
2. “Reduce the Pressure on the Indonesians:” Australian Timor Policy at the UN, 1975–1982 (Peter Job)
2. “Our Interest Is Minimal, but….” Britain and the Indonesian Invasion of Timor-Leste, 1975–1976 (Norrie MacQueen)
PART FOUR - RESISTING THE INDONESIAN ANNEXATION OF TIMOR-LESTE
1. Return to
Fronteira Norte: Rebuilding Resistance in Timor-Leste Western Districts, 1990–1995 (Edith Bowles)
2. “I Follow the Screaming.” The Timorese Catholic Church and the Struggle for Independence (Maria José Garrido)
3. Walking a Tightrope between the Army and the Church. Jesuit Relief during the Indonesian Occupation of Timor-Leste, 1975–1999 (Pocut Hanifah)
4. The Indonesian Genocide in Timor-Leste: Law, Politics, History (Clinton Fernandes)
Index
