What is the Place of Mar de Timor in Timorese Geopolitics, Culture and Education?

Abstract Timor-Leste is one of the youngest States of the twenty-first century. It was a Portuguese colony, occupied by Indonesia, the stage of United Nations interventions, and since its restoration of independence, it has been undergoing the process of state- and nation-building. The sea is important for Timor-Leste in several dimensions. The question of the maritime borders of Timor-Leste and the interest in natural gas and oil have been the target of disputes in the region. The strategic dimension of the sea combines traditional cultural values and practices with the policies of a modern state, defining both its international relations and Timor-Leste’s national identity. Education plays a fundamental role in the construction of collective understandings on the subject, since schools serve as important communication channels of ideas and state values. Thus, the aim of this paper is to understand the place of the Mar de Timor in Timor-Leste’s geopolitics, culture and education. The study is framed by documents relating to maritime border treaties, as well as the analysis of the Timorese curriculum of general secondary education currently in force. This methodological option is based on the recognition that the curriculum is in itself a product of international co-operation in the process of state-building.