Transnationalism and Relationships with ‘Home’ among Women in the East Timorese Community in Melbourne

Abstract

This article focuses on transnationalism and long distance nationalism among East Timorese women in Melbourne, Australia, in the post independence period. It explores the relationships these women have with East Timor and how they engage in transnational practices. It examines the community's self-perception as East Timorese in Australia and their engagement with East Timor, particularly during the 2006 unrest there. Despite being in a liminal position living between two cultures, their country of origin and the country they reside in, most women (even those who rarely visit East Timor) still identify as ‘East Timorese’. I discuss the challenges with returning ‘home’, and how this affects the community's ‘imaginings’ of East Timor. The community retains a predominantly idealistic view of East Timor, but this is increasingly complemented by a nuanced understanding of the challenges faced by their presence ‘at home’.