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Timor-Leste Studies Pre-conference Workshop
ASSOCIATION FOR ASIAN STUDIES
WASHINGTON, DC MARRIOTT WARDMAN PARK HOTEL
ROOM: MARYLAND - A

THURSDAY, MARCH 22. 2018

A SPECIAL EVENT SPONSORED BY THE SOUTHEAST ASIA COUNCIL & THE INDONESIA AND TIMOR-LESTE STUDIES COMMITTEE WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE HENRY LUCE FOUNDATION

Program of Events

9-9:30am Coffee, Welcome

9:30 - 11am Panel - Current Trends in Research on Timor-Leste

11-11:30am Coffee and discussion

11:30am-1pm Roundtable - Archives and Source Materials for Timor-Leste Studies

1-2:30pm Lunch break

2:30-4:00pm Panel - Historical Justice: Issues and Questions

4-4:30pm Coffee and discussion

4:30-5:00pm Roundup + Prospective on the future of the TL initiative

Current Trends in Research on Timor-Leste organized by David Hicks

In contrast to the lengthy research-poor period during which Timor-Leste was under the successive colonial governments of Portugal and Indonesia, a great deal of research is now being conducted in this independent nation-state. So it now seems the time to assess the nature of this work, and the results it has produced. Accordingly, this panel considers current research, and that conducted in the recent past, by scholars in a range of academic disciplines, but also by practitioners, officers of national and international organizations, and others. The research domains to be dealt with embrace an extensive array of topics - including national, regional, and local politics; administrative issues (national and local); economy and finance; NGOs; religion; democracy; local traditions; health; and demography. Presenters include Susana Barnes, Josh Trindade, Kelly Silva and David Hicks.

Archives and Source Materials for Timor-Leste Studies organized by David Webster

Although long neglected in scholarly studies of Southeast Asia, Timor-Leste has begun to receive more academic attention in recent years. Building on insights from last year's pre-conference workshop in Toronto, this panel will examine the growing base of source material available in Timor-Leste studies by examining archival sources and the role they play in historical memory. We will attempt to map future strategies to compile archival and other pertinent source materials. The panel will also survey those materials likely to be valuable in advancing the study of Timor-Leste in North American universities. Presenters include Hugo Fernandes, Susana Barnes, Clinton Fernandes and Trudy Huskamp Peterson.

Historical Justice: Issues and Questions organized by Michael Leach & Elizabeth Drexler

Fifteen years after the restoration of Independence, historical justice remains a key issue in Timor-Leste's political life. Though post-independence governments have favored good relations with Indonesia over justice for victims, some progress has been evident in recent months with the establishment of the Centro Nacional Chega! - a successor body to the CAVR (Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation), which will become a permanent human rights record and archive. This panel will explore issues of historical justice in contemporary Timor-Leste, examining the positions of the state, victims' groups, legal associations, the Church and other actors. It will also examine the way issues of historical justice affect broader nation-building issues of school curriculum development, and influence themes in popular culture, and in political campaigns. Presenters include Elizabeth Drexler, Hugo Fernandes, Michael Leach and Maria Manuela Leong Pereira.

Queries and requests for further information may be sent to Richard Fox (rfox@eth.uni-heidelberg.de)