Embodying Exile: Trauma and Collective Identities among East Timorese Refugees in Australia

Abstract

Some of the more interesting and useful work on diasporic and transnational identities has emanated from scholars working in cultural studies and contemporary anthropology. However, with a few notable exceptions, little attention has been paid to the specific experiences of refugee diasporas, and in particular, to the role of trauma and embodiment in the creation of these 'moral communi- ties.' Based on research with the East Timorese diaspora in Aus- tralia, this article looks at the performative dimensions (protests, church rituals, singing, and dancing) of the diaspora's political cam- paign for East Timor's independence. I consider how the bodily dimensions of this protest movement contributed to certain forma- tions of identity, belonging, and exile, within the Timorese commu- nity. In particular, I explore how these performative strategies have created a context for 'retraumatizing' bodies and memories, chan- neling them into a political 'community of suffering,' in turn con- tributing to a heightened sense of the morality of an exilic identity among many Timorese.