Administrando pessoas, recursos e rituais. Pedagogia econômica como tática de governo em Timor-Leste

Abstract

Resumo Este artigo discute práticas de gestão de pessoas, recursos e rituais por parte de agências de governo em Timor-Leste. Tendo por foco de análise o tara bandu realizado no distrito de Ermera, em 2012, e propagandas oficiais, entrevistas e outros documentos produzidos entre 2012 e 2015, demonstro como certa racionalidade a respeito do dispêndio de bens materiais e simbólicos, orientada pelo regime de dádiva, tem se tornado objeto de governo, dando origem a uma pedagogia econômica. Tal pedagogia econômica intenta diminuir os investimentos materiais e simbólicos aplicados em rituais e prestações de aliança e transformar em mercadorias recursos originalmente manejados como dádiva. No limite, implicado nessa pedagogia econômica figura um projeto de purificação e monopolização das fontes de governo.

A Reconstrução Do Sistema De Justiça Em Timor-Leste Após a Invasão Indonésia (1975-1999)

“…Mais que isso: Timor-Leste não soube simplesmente respeitar os direitos culturais locais, mas os tomou como um parceiro em prol do desenvolvimento de suas tecnologias de governo (Silva, 2016). Ademais, não tenho dados suficientes para atestar que há um aumento de…”

Playing with ambiguity: The making and unmaking of local power in postcolonial Timor‐Leste

“…Portuguese rule was not only achieved with weapons but relied, in part, on the Catholic Church's missionary work, and the political strategy of incorporating local cultural institutions. The latter stratgey is described by Roque (2012) as a 'parasitic' use of political and cultural systems for administrative purposes, (which) incorporated local meanings of authority and order in governance technologies and made use of ritualistic forms with local colour to impose new rules and prohibitions, as has happened with tara bandu (a practice to forbid an activity in a local area) rituals (Roque, 2012;Silva, 2016).…”

“…8 These rules are not usually written down. When they are in writing and ritually inaugurated, they constitute the village tara bandu, an important form of social regulation (Silva, 2016). 9 We are not saying this compliance really happens, but the idea that it should happen is what is produced in these performances, that is to say the idea of a national law above local procedures is symbolically legitimised.…”

Spirit Ecologies and Customary Governance in Post-conflict Timor-Leste

“…Similarly, this anticipated coming together of benefits is also sometimes extended to state aspirations for localized economic development. For example, in a number of tara bandu processes associated with coffee-growing districts in the mountainous west of the country, restrictions on the number of animals that can be exchanged and sacrificed between houses during life cycle events are often added to the list of 'environmental' bans (Palmer 2007;Silva 2016). While such tara bandu processes were initially embraced at the community level as a way to tackle 7 Personal communication with D. Carvalho, Director, Haburas Foundation, Dili, April 2008.…”

“…From this perspective, whether or not these tara bandu rituals and associated 'modernist' paraphernalia (written documentation, formal signing ceremonies, stipulated fines) are initiated from within the community or beyond is not relevant to the greater project of the pursuit of intergenerational wellbeing. Of more relevance is that the protective agency of the ancestors, the animals, lands, and waters is being enabled and even brought into dialogue with the state, even if the latter is interested primarily in the deployment of prefigured environmental or 'economic pedagogies' (Silva 2016).…”