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1st Int. Transborder Conf. of the Timor Island: Timor %u2013 Science without borderDili, 7-8 May 2025142Family Sociology in Timor-Leste: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Theoretical PotentialTherese Nguyen Thi Phuong TamCommunity development department, UNTL, Timor-LesteAbstractIn Timor-Leste, extended families serve as the cornerstone of social, economic, and cultural life, shaping the nation%u2019s development from its independence struggle to postconflict state-building. This essay employs family sociology to analyze the family%u2019s role as the primary unit of production, cultural practices, cooperatives, and social organizations, drawing on anthropological writings by Traube (1986), Hicks (2004), and others. Families underpinned the FALINTIL resistance by providing resources and protection, while post-independence, they influence NGOs, governance, and economic cooperatives. Strengths include social cohesion, resilience, and trust, which foster community-driven development. However, weaknesses such as nepotism, exclusion of non-kin, and resistance to modernization hinder scalability and inclusivity. Proposing a %u201cKinship Resilience Theory,%u201d the essay highlights the potential for a new family sociology framework that integrates Timor-Leste%u2019s multi-functional kinship networks. This study underscores the need to balance family strengths with inclusive policies to enhance Timor-Leste development potential. Keywords: Multi-functional kinship networks, family sociology, development in postindependence.