Little more than a decade ago, Cambodia witnessed a series of rapid transitions, from civil war to peace, from a socialist-style authoritarianism to multi-party democracy, and from geographic isolation to a free-market economy. Requiring the United Nations to undertake its biggest ever peace time operation, the elections of 1993 triggered an influx of foreign aid unparalleled in Southeast Asia. Intense international interest since then has been accompanied by a re-emerging field of scholarship that has principally sought explanations for genocide and war, or attempted to map more recent economic and political developments. The social and cultural implications of a society that has undergone such profound change has received little scholarly examination until now.
Drawing upon multidisciplinary theoretical perspectives and up-to-date empirical research, Expressions of Cambodia reveals the tensions and contradictions involved in post-conflict nation building and socio-cultural recovery. Together a team of international contributors take scholarship on the country in new directions, focusing on the politics of tradition and modernity, tourism, the performance of identity, post-conflict nation-building and the on-going renewal of ties between diaspora and home. Timely and much needed, the book brings Cambodia back into dialogue with its neighbors and as such, makes a valuable contribution to the growing field of cultural studies in Asia. Written in an accessible style, Expressions of Cambodia will be of particular interest to those working in the fields of Asian studies, tourism, diaspora, and postcolonial and cultural studies.
