This site brings together the publications of Dr. Sara Niner about people & politics in Timor-Leste.

23 December, 2014

new chapter in The Palgrave Handbook on Gender and Development: Critical engagements in feminist theory and practice

Very happy Spike Peterson has this to say about my new chapter in The Palgrave Handbook on Gender and Development: Critical engagements in feminist theory and practice :
"Sara Niner’s years of field work and engagement with the historical struggles and current politics of Timor-Leste provide a rich case study of gender within and beyond militarized conflicts. She notes that this small nation is both marginalized and underdeveloped, yet embedded in and affected by the global order because of its location and oil resources. The case study of Timor’s long colonial history and decades of violent occupation by Indonesian forces – with the complicity of Western powers – substantiates in many respects the analytical critiques foregrounded by myself, Khalid and Turcotte. Extensive, painful details demonstrate the practice and resilience of gender-dichotomized affect, experience, violence and valorization, for example, (re)privileging (militarized) masculinity, devaluing women’s contributions, and denying female combatants recognition or welfare. Niner also notes the complexity of constructively addressing emotionally invested memories, resentments and commitments that typically attend decades of conflict and continue into post-conflict politics."