Renegotiating domesticity in the making of homestays in Atauro, Timor-Leste

Abstract

This paper explores emerging domesticities in Atauro, Timor-Leste, in relation to efforts to make homestays available for potential tourists. In exploring these new domesticities, we elucidate the ‘civilising process’ that is happening in terms of the ways in which people consider hygiene, diet, and their relationship with non-human animals. In addition, the advent of potential tourism engenders the emergence of a new trend in domestic architecture. At the same time, this raising of homestays has intensified the workload of especially younger women, preventing them from taking part in collective activities and agriculture, which makes them more dependent on the market economy. Our analysis of these processes points to the heuristic potential of intersectional analysis to better understand development dynamics in contemporary Timor-Leste.