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Community in Timor-Leste: A Thematic Overview
Understanding community in all its manifestations has been a key theme of the Globalism Institute’s work in Timor-Leste. While the national community has been a focus, and one largely covered under our thematic area of nation building, we have been intensely interested in the condition of local communities as the new nation has come into being. We are interested in understanding how communities define themselves and see their strengths and weaknesses, and how this may differ from broader administrative processes that may seek to approach that community through a different lens.
Our approach to community has generally been framed by two concepts: ‘community security’ and ‘community sustainability’. The concept of 'community security' allows for a consideration of both direct threats, such as social conflict, violence and property destruction, as well as the ability to achieve those things that might be understood to enable a good life, such as access to adequate shelter, food, health, education and cultural expression. 'Community sustainability', a framework used by the Globalism Research Centre in our research across the globe, refers to the ways in which communities hold themselves together in a durable and coherent form over a period of time, even in the face of substantial challenges and under periods of intense change.
This work intersects with a number of RMIT initiatives; a long-term interest in researching communities in the Globalism Research Centre within Australia and the Asia-Pacific, both the Community Sustainability and Human Security Programs under the Global Cities Institute, and an Australian Research Council Discovery grant.
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