War, Genocide, and Justice: Cambodian American Memory Work by Cathy J. Schlund-Vials (review)

Cathy J. Schlund-Vials's War, Genocide, and Justice: Cambodian American Memory Work challenges dominant narratives of the Khmer Rouge era by highlighting the 'Cambodian Syndrome,' where amnesiac politics and humanitarian rhetoric obscure justice for genocide victims. The study critiques state-driven memorialization—such as Cambodia’s Tuol Sleng prison and Choeung Ek killing fields—as tools of Vietnamese political narrative, favoring perpetrator representation over victim reparations. It also examines U.S. cultural depictions (e.g., The Killing Fields) for their Cold War apologetics, which prioritize American absolution over Cambodian perspectives. Schlund-Vials proposes 'Cambodian American memory work' as an alternative, centering survivor voices—like Socheata Poeuv’s New Year Baby—to chart the dual legacies of U.S. imperialism and Khmer Rouge authoritarianism. The book advances transnational American Studies by exposing the limits of humanitarian discourse in post-genocide justice.

Lim, J. (2014). WAR, GENOCIDE, AND JUSTICE: Cambodian American Memory Work by Cathy J. Schlund-Vials (review). American Studies, 53(3), 110–111. https://doi.org/10.1353/ams.2014.0143