Browsing by Subject "Cambodia"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Campaign of intimidation : upsurge of political prisoners in Cambodia
(2016-12) Chhin-Lawrence, Amara; Weaver, Catherine, 1971-; Inboden, Rana S.
This report focuses on the sudden increase of political prisoners in Cambodia starting July 2015 as it relates to the 2018 national election. The wave of political prisoners is seen as part of the deterioration of broader human rights conditions in Cambodia with regards to Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Association, and the right to fair trial and due process. By examining the Cambodian regime’s historical behaviors with regards to human rights and its threat of losing power in the upcoming 2018 election, this report argues that the uptick of political prisoners is a means for the regime to specifically determine the outcome of the upcoming election. Content analysis of secondary academic, political and advocacy-based sources are used as evidence for claims to support this argument. In addition, this report offers policy recommendations addressed to the United Nations toward achieving reforms and the release of Cambodia’s political prisoners.
Climate change and migration in Cambodia : an analysis of spatiotemporal trends in water availability and migration
(2020-05-14) Sigelmann, Laura Emilia; Scanlon, Bridget R.; Busby, Joshua W.
Cambodia is a small fragile state in Southeast Asia that is highly exposed to the effects of climate change. While there is a burgeoning body of research on the effects of climate change on security outcomes, there is limited research on the relationship between climate change and migration, particularly in Cambodia. The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to analyze subnational climate vulnerabilities in Cambodia with a specific emphasis on water availability; second, to analyze the relationship between water availability and migration in Cambodia. The study first uses a mix of quantitative and qualitative data to establish the political, economic, and social conditions necessary for climate change to affect migration. Then, the study uses Esri’s Emerging Hot Spot Analysis tool to identify precipitation trends on a subnational level. Finally, the study uses qualitative and quantitative data, including focus group interviews, to analyze subnational migration patterns in relation to subnational precipitation patterns and provide a holistic picture of Cambodia’s climate-migration nexus. The study finds that precipitation is decreasing in the northwest provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Oddar Meanchey, and Siem Reap, where the bulk of the population is reliant on traditional rice agriculture, which is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The study also concludes that households that have experienced crop loss, drought, and poor rainfall are more likely to have a family member migrate the following year. If the northwest continues to experience a drying trend, it is likely that more individuals will migrate from these provinces in the future. Future research should address two things: first, how climate change projections for the country vary spatially and temporally; and second, how climate change and migration are quantitatively linked. Finally, the Cambodian government and international organizations should direct funding towards research to better understand the situation in northwestern Cambodia and policies that increase the resilience of the region’s agricultural communities
Faculty Development Program Speaker Series: Dr. Lina Chhun
(Center for Asian American Studies, 2021-03-22) Center for Asian American Studies
Looking elsewhere : migration, risk, and decision-making in rural Cambodia
(2012-12) Bylander, Maryann; Charrad, M. (Mounira); Roberts, Bryan R., 1939-
International labor migration has become an increasingly common livelihood strategy in rural Cambodia, in some villages becoming a defining and normative part of community life. This dissertation is an ethnographic study of one such rural community, where migration to Thailand has become a primary livelihood strategy over the past decade. Drawing on three years of fieldwork in Chanleas Dai, a commune (khum) in Northwest Cambodia, my research explores the complexities of the migration decision-making process, and the meanings of migration for rural households. This work is motivated by debates within the dialogues of migration and development, most of which seek to understand the potential for migration to promote development by focusing on the impacts of migration. My work departs from previous studies by focusing explicitly on decision-making, seeking to understand how and why families make developmentally important migration decisions. This is a critical area of inquiry, as the potential that migration has to promote or sustain development rests on a series of individual choices, for example who migrates, or how households invest remittances. Yet research tends to focus on the outcomes of these choices, neglecting a sufficient understanding of why they were made. In Chanleas Dai individuals are deeply ambivalent about migration, understanding it as both a constituent cause of insecurity and also the best path to security, mobility, and status. Whereas migration is perceived as low-risk and high-reward, village-based livelihoods are widely perceived as insufficient, impossible, or too financially risky to be meaningful. These perceptions are strongly linked to the recent history of environmental distress in the area. As a result, households often prioritize investment in further migrations, rather than using wages earned abroad for local investment or production. This is particularly true among youth, who see few potential worthwhile strategies to "make it" at home. Credit and agriculture programs theorized to curb migration, and/or promote local investment have not substantively challenged these perceptions. My conclusions discuss these findings in terms of their implications for the migration and development dialogues, definitions and understandings of development, and rural development policies both within and outside of Cambodia.
"Time To Rise": Cultural Phenomenon in the Evolution of Cambodian Original Music
(2022) Prak, Rane; Waring, Luke
The work of artists who belong to the Cambodian Original Music Movement (COMM) shows that tradition is not static, nor does it fix the past. The COMM comprises a new generation of Khmer musicians and represents a vibrant new cultural phenomenon in the post-Khmer Rouge Genocide era (1979-present). Drawing from Affect Theory, my thesis frames this cultural phenomenon as an emergent socio-political response to the Cambodian people’s intergenerational trauma resulting from years of colonialism, war, and genocide. I argue that contemporary cultural production by the COMM continues the tradition of Khmer storytelling while providing insights into the lived experiences of Cambodian artists in the present. Cultural formations, specifically songs associated with the COMM, contribute to an ongoing negotiation of Khmer identities and traditions, catering to a new generation of consumers. They use fluid representations of culture, time, and space to subvert master narratives that portray Cambodia as a country full of suffering, forever stuck in the shadows of its past. Instead, these songs allow artists to paint a broader, richer picture of Cambodia as a resilient country capable of healing, a place associated with various vibrant cultural traditions that can be adapted to meet the needs of a changing world. My research, which centers on the hybridity of contemporary and "traditional" Khmer storytelling, moves beyond the conventional imperialist paradigm that posits a dichotomy between modernity as enlightened and progressive, and tradition as conservative and backward, arguing for a more nuanced conception of the dynamic relationship between the two. These kinds of cultural artifacts are not produced purely for entertainment, nor solely as vehicles for nostalgia. Moreover, I argue that cultural productions, such as Khmer songs, play a productive role in the ongoing negotiation and construction of identity in Cambodia and among Cambodian diasporic communities. In the post-Khmer Rouge era, there was an emphasis on protecting Khmer tradition, which often included preserving "authentic" Khmer songs in “pristine” form without introducing any changes. This idea of a "fixed" tradition stems from a fear of assimilation and the loss of an "authentic" cultural identity during times of violence and post-violence. The COMM, by contrast, introduces changes to traditional cultural forms, thereby moving beyond preservation to find ways of keeping the tradition alive. Songs from the COMM provide spaces for cultural producers and consumers to negotiate identities and discuss social issues, promoting themes of evolution, solidarity, love, and the hybridity of modernity and tradition. The COMM is a space that lets different generations enter into productive dialogue on collective trauma, as well as find new avenues of cultural expression in the future. In the first chapter, I use Jan Nederveen Pieterse's theory of hybridization to explore how blended traditional and contemporary music bridges cultural producers and consumers from different generations. One song, "Time to Rise," combines the traditional Khmer genre of improvised song-making or chapei performed by folk musician, Kong Nay, with contemporary rap performed by hip-hop artist, VannDa. These hybrid traditional and contemporary cultural productions offer a middle ground for people from various generations to converse, something that is especially important in light of the widening generation gap in Cambodia. The second chapter draws upon Vijay Prashad's alternative understanding of the nation-state to explore how collaborations between artists of different cultural identities continue decolonial movements by offering resistance against hegemony. The final chapter explores how songs promote empowering narratives regarding the Khmer people.