Sam Carroll-Bell
Dr Sam Carroll-Bell is a Senior Academic Tutor and Research Associate with the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University in Melbourne (Australia). Sam’s research critically examines the epistemological framing and impact of international development activities in the Asia-Pacific.
Since 2012, Sam has published several articles and book chapters. His most recent publication is his PhD thesis, "Patterns of Belief: Examining the Epistemologies of International Development Workers in Timor-Leste". In addition to research, Sam continues to support and teach into several undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including Critical Ideas in Contemporary Social and Political Theory, Global Security, Governance and Democracy in Developing Countries, Intercultural Communication, Peacebuilding and Reconciliation. Sam also has extensive administrative experience in the tertiary sector having held a number of positions and worked in several institutions prior to the commencement of his PhD studies.
Away from academia, Sam was a founding member of Agile Development Group, a Cambodian development organisation specialising in inclusive design and community based agricultural programs. He also has led several development initiatives in Vietnam and continues to be an active member of Matadalan Ba Malu, a Melbourne based program facilitating high quality English language training and cross-cultural exchange for East Timorese women operating in a community development context.
Address: Timor-Leste Research Program
School of Global, Urban and Social Science (B37.5)
RMIT University
GPO Box 2476
Melbourne VIC 3001
Australia
Since 2012, Sam has published several articles and book chapters. His most recent publication is his PhD thesis, "Patterns of Belief: Examining the Epistemologies of International Development Workers in Timor-Leste". In addition to research, Sam continues to support and teach into several undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including Critical Ideas in Contemporary Social and Political Theory, Global Security, Governance and Democracy in Developing Countries, Intercultural Communication, Peacebuilding and Reconciliation. Sam also has extensive administrative experience in the tertiary sector having held a number of positions and worked in several institutions prior to the commencement of his PhD studies.
Away from academia, Sam was a founding member of Agile Development Group, a Cambodian development organisation specialising in inclusive design and community based agricultural programs. He also has led several development initiatives in Vietnam and continues to be an active member of Matadalan Ba Malu, a Melbourne based program facilitating high quality English language training and cross-cultural exchange for East Timorese women operating in a community development context.
Address: Timor-Leste Research Program
School of Global, Urban and Social Science (B37.5)
RMIT University
GPO Box 2476
Melbourne VIC 3001
Australia
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on from formal independence, much of the nation’s population remains deeply impoverished and many human development challenges persist. This article attempts to answer two questions: First, why has development in Timor-Leste been unable to deliver more observable benefits and outcomes for the population at large? And second, how might development be reconfigured to be more effective? Drawing from
statistical information, interviews, and case study material, this article argues that part of the ‘problem’ lies with development orthodoxy and its incapacity to recognize and adapt to settings where customary systems of local authority, practice, and belief
remain important to social cohesion. Indeed, much may be gained by recasting the way development theory and practice views and interprets such practices, moving away from the idea of a series of cultural obstacles to acknowledging them as deeply embedded systems of meaning which continue to guide various aspects of East Timorese life.
restorative processes, working across two jurisdictions and drawing together both customary and modern forms of law.2 While there has been a great deal of analysis of the transitional justice system as a whole, this article is interested in exploring how some of the strengths of that process—in particular the Community Reconciliation Process (CRP) undertaken by the
Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR)—can inform contemporary development practice. The article is concerned with the ongoing challenges that face development in Timor-Leste and identifies several factors critical to the CRP’s success that could provide a more sustainable way forward for development activities.
'Teaching for Buoyancy in the Pre-carious Present for an Evitable Future', by Julian C. H. Lee, Anna Branford, Sam Carroll-Bell, Aya Ono and Kaye Quek
For those who spend their professional lives among young adults studying at university, there is a burgeoning anxiety about the future. The evidence that the future is carious – decayed – seems everywhere, from environmental destruction to hard-won social advances being in jeopardy. This chapter describes our reflections and responses as people who have taught at Australian universities in relation to an air of pessimism to which academics have contributed. Our intention is to explore a central feature of the present gloom, which is the apparent lack of viable remedies which people can choose to become involved with in order to work against their carious future and for a brighter one, allowing them to stay buoyant in the present.
This paper is part of the 'Conference Proceedings of the New Research on Timor-Leste: A TLSA Research Conference', Liceeu Campus, Universidade Nacional de Timor-Lorosa'e (UNTL), Avenida Cididade de Lisboa, Dili, Timor-Leste, 29-30 June 2017.
Published in June 2018
development was one of the many disciplines deployed by the international community to help stabilize and transition the nation from ‘post-conflict state’ to ‘liberal democracy’. Over the next few years a plethora of multilateral agencies and international organizations would implement a vast array of activities and programs aimed at improving the lives of the East-Timorese people. 13 years on and despite significant resourcing and expertise, many of the desired ‘developmental’ outcomes have failed to materialise: 41 per cent of the country’s population continue to live in absolute poverty, while 45 per cent of children under the age of five are significantly underweight. Moreover, there is also growing anecdotal evidence that development orthodoxy is struggling to connect
with, as well as adapt to, communities where customary ‘ways of being and doing’ remain vital to social integration. Now as the United Nations and other agencies begin to draw down their activities in Timor-Leste, this essay asks why has development struggled to deliver more observable outcomes and benefits during this period of sustained international engagement? Exploring and highlighting a number of aspects unique to East Timorese society it also asks how might development be ‘re-imagined’ so as to be more effective in the future?
on from formal independence, much of the nation’s population remains deeply impoverished and many human development challenges persist. This article attempts to answer two questions: First, why has development in Timor-Leste been unable to deliver more observable benefits and outcomes for the population at large? And second, how might development be reconfigured to be more effective? Drawing from
statistical information, interviews, and case study material, this article argues that part of the ‘problem’ lies with development orthodoxy and its incapacity to recognize and adapt to settings where customary systems of local authority, practice, and belief
remain important to social cohesion. Indeed, much may be gained by recasting the way development theory and practice views and interprets such practices, moving away from the idea of a series of cultural obstacles to acknowledging them as deeply embedded systems of meaning which continue to guide various aspects of East Timorese life.
restorative processes, working across two jurisdictions and drawing together both customary and modern forms of law.2 While there has been a great deal of analysis of the transitional justice system as a whole, this article is interested in exploring how some of the strengths of that process—in particular the Community Reconciliation Process (CRP) undertaken by the
Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR)—can inform contemporary development practice. The article is concerned with the ongoing challenges that face development in Timor-Leste and identifies several factors critical to the CRP’s success that could provide a more sustainable way forward for development activities.
'Teaching for Buoyancy in the Pre-carious Present for an Evitable Future', by Julian C. H. Lee, Anna Branford, Sam Carroll-Bell, Aya Ono and Kaye Quek
For those who spend their professional lives among young adults studying at university, there is a burgeoning anxiety about the future. The evidence that the future is carious – decayed – seems everywhere, from environmental destruction to hard-won social advances being in jeopardy. This chapter describes our reflections and responses as people who have taught at Australian universities in relation to an air of pessimism to which academics have contributed. Our intention is to explore a central feature of the present gloom, which is the apparent lack of viable remedies which people can choose to become involved with in order to work against their carious future and for a brighter one, allowing them to stay buoyant in the present.
This paper is part of the 'Conference Proceedings of the New Research on Timor-Leste: A TLSA Research Conference', Liceeu Campus, Universidade Nacional de Timor-Lorosa'e (UNTL), Avenida Cididade de Lisboa, Dili, Timor-Leste, 29-30 June 2017.
Published in June 2018
development was one of the many disciplines deployed by the international community to help stabilize and transition the nation from ‘post-conflict state’ to ‘liberal democracy’. Over the next few years a plethora of multilateral agencies and international organizations would implement a vast array of activities and programs aimed at improving the lives of the East-Timorese people. 13 years on and despite significant resourcing and expertise, many of the desired ‘developmental’ outcomes have failed to materialise: 41 per cent of the country’s population continue to live in absolute poverty, while 45 per cent of children under the age of five are significantly underweight. Moreover, there is also growing anecdotal evidence that development orthodoxy is struggling to connect
with, as well as adapt to, communities where customary ‘ways of being and doing’ remain vital to social integration. Now as the United Nations and other agencies begin to draw down their activities in Timor-Leste, this essay asks why has development struggled to deliver more observable outcomes and benefits during this period of sustained international engagement? Exploring and highlighting a number of aspects unique to East Timorese society it also asks how might development be ‘re-imagined’ so as to be more effective in the future?