Folly, Violence, and Ambition: Essays on the History and Politics of Timor-Leste
Douglas Kammen, author
Date of publication:
2026
Publisher:
ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
Number of pages:
342
Code:
BM651
Soft Cover
ISBN: 9789815361131
About the publication
Combining rigorous research with engaging writing, the essays in this volume offer deep historical context to contemporary issues in Timor-Leste. Whether exploring violent legacies of colonial occupation, local narratives of resistance, or the complexities of independence, this volume is an indispensable text for anyone serious about understanding the history and politics of Timor-Leste.
—Michael Leach, Department of Political Science, Swinburne University of Technology
Douglas Kammen is one of the most innovative thinkers working on Timor-Leste today. This collection brings together an unusually wide range of essays—from the colonial era to the Indonesian occupation and the post-2002 independence period. Kammen’s creative combination of archival work and political analysis challenge us to reconsider established readings of history and politics.
—Judith Bovensiepen, Director of the Institute for Social Anthropology, Vienna
While a national history might provide the broad strokes, this collection of essays about Timor-Leste offers something far more agile and engaging. Beginning from little-known and often surprising starting points, Kammen combines rich archival material with diachronic analysis, making history feel alive and shedding new light on contemporary Timor-Leste.
—Laura Meitzner Yoder, Environmental Studies, Wheaton College
Contents
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Folly, Violence, and Ambition: Essays on the History and Politics of Timor-Leste
[Whole Publication, ISBN: 9789815361148], by Douglas Kammen, author -
Preliminary pages and Introduction
- Part I: LONGITUDINAL STUDIES
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1. Proclaiming East Timor: Historical Reflections on Political Declarations
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2 Master-Slave, Traitor-Nationalist, Opportunist-Oppressed: Political Metaphors in East Timor
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3. Progress and Propaganda in Timor-Leste: Visions of the Future in Comparative Historical Perspective
- Part II: COLONIAL RULE AND SOCIETY
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4. The Feudalization of Timor, 1851–1896
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5. Queens of Timor
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6. Fantasy and Fossilization in the Study of Timor-Leste: Territoriality, Demography, and Status
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7. Trouble and Strife: Demographic Shocks, Agrarian Change, and Marriage in Portuguese Timor
- Part III: OCCUPATION AND RESISTANCE
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8. Between Violence and Negotiation: Rethinking the Indonesian Occupation and East Timorese Resistance
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9. Blood and Witches: Selective Executions in Occupied East Timor, 1978–1980
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10. A Tape Recorder and a Wink?
- Part IV: ORIGINS AND REALITIES OF INDEPENDENCE
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11. The Armed Forces in Timor-Leste: Politicization Through Elite Conflict
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12. Subordinating Timor: Central Authority and the Origins of Communal Identities in East Timor
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13. Gusmão’s Ruling Strategy: From Peacebuilding to Purchase and Coercion
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14. Fragments of Utopia: Popular Yearnings in East Timor
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15. Conclusion: The Origins and Trajectories of “the People”
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Bibliography
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Index
