Surveying East Timorese tertiary student attitudes to national identity: 2002-2007

Author: Leach, Michael

Source: South East Asia Research, Volume 16, Number 3, November 2008 , pp. 405-431(27)

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Abstract:

This article examines post-independence debates over national identity in East Timor, presenting the findings of a longitudinal survey (carried out in Dili in 2002 and 2007) of East Timorese tertiary student attitudes to national identity. The findings suggest that a younger generation of East Timorese partially contest the 'official' linguistic and cultural affiliations of the nation-state, while supporting other 'official' narratives of national history. In so doing, the findings highlight the difficult cultural legacies of consecutive colonial occupations. The paper also examines significant changes in these youth attitudes since independence, including a significant increase in the acceptance of the co-official status of the Portuguese language in the tertiary student demographic over the five-year period.

Keywords: NATIONAL IDENTITY; NATIONAL HISTORY; YOUTH ATTITUDES; EAST TIMOR

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5367/000000008787133472

Publication date: 2008-11-01

More about this publication?

South East Asia Research publishes articles based on original research or fieldwork on all aspects of South East Asia within the disciplines of archaeology, art history, economics, geography, history, language and literature, law, music, political science, social anthropology and religious studies. This peer-reviewed journal is published four times per year by IP Publishing in cooperation with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). SOAS is the leading centre in this field in Europe and one of the most prestigious centres of South East Asian Studies in the world.
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