[TimorLesteStudies] Subject: Panel Call for Abstracts for AAS 2023

[TLSI Initiative]

*Call for Abstracts *

*Environmental Changes and Customary Practices in Timor-Leste*

Panel Organisers: Ariel Mota Alves (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) and
Susanna Barnes (University of Saskatchewan) for the Association for Asian
Studies Annual Conference 2023 (AAS2023 @ Boston)

Submission deadline: July 28, 2022 (OTL)



Hello everyone,



We currently seek abstracts/papers from scholars of Timor-Leste studies to
form a panel for the 2023 Annual Conference of the Association for Asian
Studies, to be held in Boston from March 16-19, 2023. Should travel to the
United States be an issue, the panel presentation can be held entirely
online.



Panel topic abstract:

With rapid Anthropogenic changes evident in Timor-Leste in recent years,
there is a consideration to turn our attention to recognizing the
traditional ecological knowledge and practices of Indigenous people. This
recognition comes at a time of growing critique of neoliberal solutions to
environmental problems that continue to support and reproduce systems of
domination and control, technocracy, hegemonic developmentalism, and
vulnerability under the pretext of “adaptation” and “resilience” but does
little to address the problem at hand. As an alternative, a global movement
has emerged that turns to traditional ecological knowledge rooted in
Indigenous worldviews. However, in Timor-Leste, the revitalization of the
customary practices of natural resources is not without challenges, as
economic structures and power relations shape political actors’
understanding of the environment and conservation. As a result,
environmental politics continues to be entangled, if not overlooked, by the
narrative of development and nation-building. This panel explores
environmental changes in Timor-Leste through the lens of colonial legacies,
customary practices, land rights, climate adaptation, and community-based
natural resource management, and we hope to provide alternative insights
for a sustainable future that can be informed by the wisdom of the
Indigenous traditions.



Some questions the panel may consider:

   - How can Timorese customary practices inform new Indigenous ontologies
   crucial to the understanding of conservation, climate adaptation, and
   resilience?
   - In what ways did colonialism and state formations complicate
   environmental politics in Timor-Leste?
   - How can customary practices such as Tara Bandu strengthen conservation
   and contribute to the fight against climate change?
   - Are there identifiable local organizations working on land rights in
   the interests of communities against land expropriation, particularly in
   the age of carbon farming?
   - Any topic on the political ecology and intersection between political
   economy and environment in Timor-Leste



We seek papers from Timor-Leste scholars, practitioners, and graduate
students who are working and researching the themes mentioned above.



To submit a paper proposal, please submit the following, in the order
listed below, all in a single Microsoft Word file by July 28, 2022:

   - Applicant’s Name, affiliation, and contact information
   - The Paper abstract is 250 words in the standard AAS paper proposal
   format.
   - A brief biography of 150-200 words describing current and recent
   scholarly positions, a brief sentence or two about current research, and
   any publications or conference presentations.



Completed applications should be sent via email to Ariel Mota Alves and Dr.
Susana Barnes at the following address: motaal2 at hawaii.edu and
susanna.barnes at usask.ca by June 28, 2022 deadline.



Thank you and let us know if you have any questions
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