| Abstract: | This paper examines the way the notion of sacrifice is used to reclaim national belonging and entitlements. I particularly focus my discussion on pro‐Indonesian East Timorese who left East Timor and decided to stay in West Timor after their historic referendum. The East Timorese experience of violent colonisation, military occupation, family breakdown and separation might help explain the existence of their sacrificial narratives. But I argue that such narratives evoke life histories and shared memories, which, in turn, entail the intention of displaced East Timorese to maintain an intimate relationship with their homeland and ensure a better future for their society. |
