Colonial Partition and Literary Polysystems in East and West Timor

Abstract

This paper examines the colonial partition of the Timorese island into East and West Timor and its consequences for the development of their literary polysystems. It argues that the incorporation of the two regions into different colonial and subsequently national formations produced divergent linguistic, cultural, and literary trajectories. In East Timor, Portuguese colonial rule pursued assimilationist policies, particularly Portuguesification or Lusitanization, through the dissemination of Portuguese language, culture, traditions, and identity. In West Timor, Dutch colonial rule followed a different political and cultural trajectory, which was subsequently incorporated into the Indonesian national framework. Drawing on Itamar Even-Zohar’s Polysystem Theory and Edward Said’s theory of Orientalism, this paper examines the resulting positions of canonized and peripheral literary repertoires. While Portuguese-language literature acquired a central position in East Timor and contributed to the articulation of national identity, the indigenous Atoni Meto literary repertoire, particularly Natoni, remained peripheral to the dominant Indonesian literary polysystem despite its continuing cultural significance. The paper also examines divergent patterns of literary interference: East Timorese literature developed significant relations with Lusophone literary systems, whereas West Timorese literary production became increasingly connected to the Indonesian literary polysystem. The paper concludes that the literary asymmetries between East and West Timor are deeply rooted in the colonial partition of the island and its subsequent incorporation into different linguistic, political, and cultural formations.