Publications
Art and Postmemory in a Cambodian Village—The Making of a Local Memorial Site
A local memorial site in Cambodia emerged as a space where art facilitated transgenerational remembering of Khmer Rouge violence, blending international memory work with national narratives and local postmemories. Youth participants acted as artistic intermediaries, translating fragmented survivor narratives into visual forms, creating new memoryscapes that intertwine old and new memories. However, the national political framework of collective suffering constrained this process, preventing a nuanced exploration of blurred victim-perpetrator subjectivities in the village's past and present.
Remembering Perpetrators, Victims, and Heroes: The Mnemonic Legacy of Violence
Political leaders legitimize selective accountability for mass violence by shaping societal memory through the roles of perpetrators, victims, and heroes. This study reveals that governments justify their approach to transitional justice by emphasizing these identities, rather than uniformly pursuing accountability. Investigating Cambodia, Indonesia, and Rwanda, the research combines interviews with political and civil society actors, field visits to memorial sites, and political development analysis. It demonstrates how selective memory of violence serves as a tool for internal and external legitimization, offering insights into the complex dynamics of post-conflict societies.
Cambodia
The preservation of human remains from Cambodia's Khmer Rouge genocide, while intended to serve as evidence and educational tools for future generations, may have inadvertently undermined national peace. This study reveals that political interests favoring the display of bones in memorials like Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum prioritize legitimacy over the dignity of the deceased, potentially hindering genuine reconciliation. The research employs the SANE framework to analyze local and national memorial sites, demonstrating how memory politics influence contemporary struggles for power and the quality of peace in post-genocide Cambodia.
Moving On? The Act of Remembering Humanitarian Aid and the Shaping of Normative Experiences
Humanitarian aid norms in the 1990s were significantly shaped by the experiences and reflections of field workers from the 1980s, particularly those working in refugee camps. This study reveals how these early experiences, captured through interviews, oral histories, and archives, influenced the development of humanitarian industry rulebooks and the legitimacy of its actors. The research highlights the cultural capital derived from fieldwork and how it was instrumentalized to establish normative standards. Additionally, it explores the memorialization process through a case study of Médecins sans Frontières' exhibition in Cambodia (2020-21), demonstrating how experience and legitimacy were historicized and preserved.
The Haunting Image and Memorial Construction for the 1.5 Generation: S-21/Tuol Sleng in Francophone Sequential Art
S-21/Tuol Sleng, a former Khmer Rouge prison and now a memorial site, serves as a powerful symbol of traumatic memory and reconciliation in Francophone graphic novels. This study reveals how three cartoonists from the 1.5 generation—those with fragmented connections to Cambodia—use sequential art to construct a collective memory of the 1975–79 period. Through Séra’s L’Eau et la Terre, Loo Hui Phang and Michaël Sterckeman’s Cent mille journées de prières, and Freddy Nadolny Poustochkine’s La Colline empoisonnée, Tuol Sleng emerges as a topos that anchors historical representation, bridging personal narratives with broader cultural reflection. The analysis demonstrates how visual storytelling reinterprets the site as both a place of repression and one of peace, fostering intergenerational remembrance.
The Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crimes: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Tuol Sleng Museum, once a school turned Khmer Rouge prison and torture site, now serves as a haunting memorial to the genocide of the 1970s. Since its establishment in 1980, it has become a symbol of atrocity tourism, raising ethical questions about the display of crime and the politics of memory in Cambodia. The museum preserves vivid evidence of atrocities—torture instruments, photographs, confessions, and bones—creating a deeply disturbing experience for visitors. While international tourists visit with prior knowledge, Cambodians navigate its complex political role post-genocide. This study examines how such sites function as 'theatres of macabre spectacle,' prompting critical reflection on the global circulation of horrific histories.
Therapeutic improvisation in Cambodia: Moderated exposure, the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crimes, and the quest to weave the “world’s longest krama”
Cambodian mental health workers found that incorporating visits to the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crimes into Testimonial Therapy (TT) for Khmer Rouge survivors could both aid memory retrieval and prove emotionally overwhelming. To mitigate this, counselors improvised by adding a second site where patients could weave the 'world’s longest krama,' demonstrating how cultural memory sites can be dynamically adapted to support trauma healing and identity renegotiation. This study highlights the potential of therapeutic improvisation in using culturally significant spaces to address complex post-traumatic experiences.
A 5* Destination: the Creation of New Transnational Moral Spaces of Remembrance on TripAdvisor
Tourists' digital interactions on platforms like TripAdvisor create transnational moral spaces, reinforcing shared values and global remembrance practices. Unlike traditional views of dark tourism as voyeuristic or amoral, this study reveals how online discussions contribute to meaningful moral reflection, extending beyond physical visits to memorial sites such as Cambodia's Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Rwanda's Kigali Genocide Memorial. Analyzing 120,000 reviews, the research demonstrates that digital engagement perpetuates a transnationalization of memory, shaping how atrocities are commemorated worldwide. This finding highlights the dual role of the internet in both reflecting and amplifying global remembrance trends.
Remembering Genocide in Cambodia
Forty years after the Cambodian genocide, two memorial sites have transformed from centres of repression into places of peace and reflection. This photo essay visually documents their evolution, capturing the enduring impact of historical trauma on landscape and memory. Through evocative imagery and narrative, it explores how these sites now serve as symbols of resilience and reconciliation, offering a poignant perspective on the long-term effects of genocide on society.
The “Perfect Failure” of Communal Genocide Commemoration in Cambodia
A five-year ethnographic study in Cambodia reveals the 'perfect failure' of hybrid Khmer-Western genocide memorials, which, despite appearing successful due to elite capitulation to Western cosmopolitan memory and the lure of atrocity tourism, fail culturally. The research demonstrates that these memorials, while promoting genocide pedagogy, are resisted by both elites and non-elites as they clash with Cambodian Buddhist conceptualizations of memory and commemoration. This challenges the globalization of a Holocaust model of commemoration and questions the universal human right to remember in postconflict memoryscapes.
Living with the dead in the killing fields of Cambodia
Post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia witnessed a profound shift in the relationship between the living and the dead, transforming distrust into reciprocal support. This study reveals how the dead evolved from feared entities to benevolent allies, playing a crucial role in post-conflict reconstruction. By analyzing interactions at Choeung Ek Genocidal Center and Koh Sap Island, the research demonstrates that these relationships mirror local politics, illustrating the integral role of managing the dead in societal security. The approach combines qualitative analysis with comparative case studies, highlighting the complex dynamics of memory, conflict resolution, and social transformation.
Official memorials, deathscapes, and hidden landscapes of ruin: material legacies of the Cambodian genocide
This study reveals the dual nature of Cambodia's genocide memorialization, highlighting a stark contrast between state-sanctioned memorials catering to Western 'dark tourists' and overlooked everyday landscapes where survivors and descendants live with the legacy of violence. It documents how current remembrance efforts construct a 'heritage from above,' often silencing the mundane yet profound experiences of those who continue to grapple with the past in their daily lives. The research juxtaposes these material legacies, exposing the bounded nature of reconciliation narratives and the competing claims over Cambodia's violent history.
Post-Conflict Archaeology and Cultural Heritage: Rebuilding Knowledge, Memory and Community from War-Damaged Material Culture
Post-conflict archaeology emerges as a critical field, blending historical archaeology with the urgent need to address modern cultural heritage destruction and community healing. This volume presents diverse case studies from global conflict zones, analyzing effective strategies for post-conflict reconstruction that prioritize local relevance and community involvement. It highlights legal frameworks like the 1954 Hague Convention and the role of international organizations such as UNESCO in mitigating damage. The research emphasizes the importance of collaboration between scholars and military forces to safeguard heritage sites, while also critiquing shared responsibility narratives. Successful projects, such as those in Afghanistan and Brazil, demonstrate how community-archaeology approaches can foster pride and acceptance of cultural heritage, even among marginalized groups. Conversely, it warns against potential misuse of heritage work, as seen in Rwanda, where memorials risk perpetuating tribal divisions. The book also showcases innovative documentation projects like EAMENA and NKDP, which leverage satellite imagery to identify at-risk sites. Ultimately, it underscores the need for methodologically sound, community-inclusive conservation efforts to ensure sustainable heritage protection and post-conflict societal healing.
Public art as public pedagogy: memorial landscapes of the Cambodian genocide
Public memorial art serves as a crucial educational tool, filling gaps in historical understanding for young Cambodians who lack direct experience with the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979). This study highlights how three rural mural sites function as landscapes of public pedagogy, depicting atrocities and supplementing institutional and living memory pedagogies. By analyzing these memorials, researchers demonstrate their potential to shape historical memory and education in Cambodia and beyond. The approach combines cultural geography with qualitative analysis of public art's impact on collective understanding.
Beyond the tribunal
Cambodian memorial sites, particularly Wat Thmey, reflect complex and often conflicting memories of political violence. This study reveals that such memorials serve as contested spaces where Cambodians express ambivalent views on state-sanctioned commemorative practices. By analyzing the representational technologies—such as mass human remains displays and information boards—used at these sites, the research highlights how they position Wat Thmey towards both local communities and international tourists. It contrasts day-to-day accounts of the memorial with state-led initiatives like the Day of Remembrance, illustrating the uneven nature of memory animation in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia.
Iconic Power, Dark Tourism, and the Spectacle of Suffering
Dark tourism, which encompasses sites associated with violence and trauma, operates on a spectrum from entertainment-focused attractions to solemn memorials. This study examines how such sites balance education, commerce, and reflection, using two case studies: Ai Weiwei's temporary exhibition on Alcatraz and the display of genocidal evidence at S-21 and the Killing Fields in Cambodia. The research highlights the ethical complexities and emotional responses evoked by these locations, ranging from shock and horror to more commercialized forms of engagement. By analyzing the fluid spectrum of intensity in dark tourism, the study underscores its multifaceted nature, combining elements of activism, art, and memorialization.
Memory and Sovereignty in Post-1979 Cambodia: Choeung Ek and Local Genocide Memorials 1
Cambodia's post-1979 memorial landscape reflects complex dynamics of memory and sovereignty. Research reveals that the Choeung Ek Center for Genocide Crimes, a prominent national memorial, and smaller local genocide memorials throughout the country have become focal points for public reflection on the Democratic Kampuchea era (1975–1979). These memorials, established during the 1980s under the People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK), serve as sites where Cambodians engage with collective trauma and state narratives. The study highlights how these memorials, shaped by the dominant Cambodian People’s Party, balance national remembrance with local grassroots initiatives, illustrating the tension between centralized sovereignty claims and decentralized acts of commemoration.
Memory History Nation
Memory, once seen as a subjective and local lens on history, is now recognized as a site of cultural work and contestation. This interdisciplinary volume reveals the complex dynamics of memory, exploring its role in transmitting histories across generations, grappling with trauma, shaping national narratives, and confronting silence or oblivion. It challenges the notion that contradictory memories always stem from repressive authorities, instead highlighting their multifaceted nature—serving as both a safeguard against censorship and a potential tool for silencing dissent. Through case studies ranging from Cambodia to South Africa, the book offers nuanced insights into how memory operates at individual and societal levels, blurring lines between reality, fantasy, history, and myth.
Nationalism and Memory at the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide Crimes, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
A significant shift in Cambodian memorialization practices is highlighted, where the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide Crimes emerged as a pivotal site for national and international remembrance. Originally a Khmer Rouge secret police institution, it now serves as a space where social and symbolic order is produced, reflecting Vietnam's influence on genocide discourse. The study reveals how this site aligns Cambodia's historical atrocities with the European Holocaust, embedding it within a globally recognized framework of genocide memory. This transformation underscores the power of public sites in shaping collective memory and affirming national identity.
The commodification of death: Working of the genocide museum and the killing fields in the reconciliation process in Cambodia
Cambodia's reconciliation process following the genocide of 1975–1979, during which at least two million people perished, reveals a troubling trend: the commodification of death. Despite efforts to commemorate the tragedy through memorials like the Genocide Museum and Killing Fields, these sites have increasingly prioritized tourism over remembrance, turning collective memory into an economic commodity. The study highlights systemic issues such as limited prosecutions, reluctance in truth-seeking, and victims' ignorance about reparations, while also noting the government's role in facilitating this shift—licensing foreign corporations to manage tourism and preparing additional genocide sites for commercialization. This transformation undermines justice by subordinating the meaning of deaths to economic interests.
Transitional justice and memory
Recent decades have witnessed a proliferation of memorial sites, reflecting diverse and evolving approaches to memory and transitional justice. This study examines the shifting dynamics of collective memory in Cambodia, highlighting the emergence of critically self-reflexive 'counter-memorials' and even calls for forgetting or 'anti-memorials.' It builds upon Maurice Halbwachs's seminal work on collective memory, emphasizing its practical reproduction process. The research also explores how specific sites of memory are bound to broader systems of social and political regulation, offering insights into the complex interplay between memory, justice, and societal transformation.
Genocide
This research examines how collective memory of genocide is shaped by memorial sites, revealing that certain sites play a pivotal role in fostering societal remembrance while others remain overlooked. The study highlights discrepancies in global recognition, with some genocides being more prominently remembered than others, despite their historical significance. To investigate this phenomenon, the research employs a dual approach: fieldwork and personal narratives at three specific sites to analyze their impact on collective memory, and reflective conversations centered on Cambodia as a case of genocide that has been largely forgotten. By exploring these methods, the study aims to uncover the mechanisms through which society processes traumatic historical events and how this understanding can contribute to preventing future atrocities.
Landscape, Memory, and Post-Violence in Cambodia
Selective memorialization of Cambodia's violent heritage, including sites like the 'killing fields' of Choeung Ek and unmarked mass graves, undermines the lived experiences of millions of Cambodians and hinders social justice and reconciliation efforts. This study inverts the traditional focus on heritage destruction during conflict to examine how sites of 'heritage violence' are threatened by selective memorialization, offering a grounded conceptual framework for post-violence in international conflict zones. The research employs critical heritage studies and engages with war, violence, and their cultural legacies to explore the production and impact of violent heritage.
Monstrosity by Monstrous Means: Cambodian Memorial Sites
Cambodian memorial sites to the genocide (1975–1979) employ visually and aesthetically 'monstrous' means, contrasting sharply with Holocaust memorials that prioritize restraint and ethical representation. While Cambodian sites depict atrocities unflinchingly—often without consideration for victims or visitors—they challenge traditional genocide memorial ethics by forcing confrontation with uncomfortable truths. This approach, though problematic, carries transformative potential: it exposes dilemmas inherent in memorialization while advocating for rethinking standards of representation. The study argues that these sites, by violating the 'Holocaust Bilderverbot' tradition (avoiding graphic depiction), provoke critical reflection on whether ethical boundaries should be abandoned to better confront historical horrors.
Powerful remains: the continuing presence of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime in today‘s Cambodia
Physical remains and images of victims from the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–79) have emerged as powerful, contested symbols in Cambodia's memorial landscape. These remnants—including skulls and execution site photographs—serve as iconic representations of the regime's atrocities, shaping public memory and interpretations of its legacy. While forbidden during the regime, post-1979 memorialization has proliferated through both public and private ceremonies, particularly at former killing fields. This study examines how these remains and visual depictions are deployed in ongoing historical narratives, reflecting Cambodia’s evolving relationship with its traumatic past.
Reconciliation and Perpetrator Memories in Cambodia
A critical examination of perpetrator memories reveals their complex and contradictory role in reconciliation efforts, particularly within the context of Cambodia's Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). The study, conducted through ethnographic and interview data from Anlong Veng—a former Khmer Rouge stronghold—highlights how memories of atrocity can both disrupt and align with reconciliation narratives. While perpetrator and victim memories often appear irreconcilable, they also demonstrate surprising commensurability within the ECCC's framework. This duality challenges conventional understandings of reconciliation, offering new insights into the place of perpetrator memories in human rights scholarship.
Theatricality, Dark Tourism and Ethical Spectatorship: Absent Others by Emma Willis (review)
Emma Willis's book, Theatricality, Dark Tourism and Ethical Spectatorship: Absent Others, challenges conventional critiques of dark tourism by examining its potential for ethical engagement. The study argues that theatrical elements in memorial sites—such as those related to the Khmer Rouge prisons and Killing Fields in Cambodia—can foster meaningful reflection on trauma, rather than merely exploiting macabre curiosity. Willis juxtaposes site visits with performance artworks (e.g., Photographs from S-21 and Maria Kizito) to demonstrate how spectatorship can serve as an indictment of human failure while attempting to understand others' experiences through embodied witnessing. The research avoids evaluating success or failure, instead focusing on the complex dynamics between personal, collective, and state-sanctioned narratives in dark tourism.
‘Here was the place’: (Re)Performing Khmer Rouge Archives of Violence
This study reveals the dual nature of memorial sites, particularly those linked to Cambodia's Khmer Rouge era, by distinguishing between the conservative materiality of archives and the embodied memory of performance. It demonstrates how sites like Tuol Sleng Museum (S21) and Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields) use performative elements—such as gestures, orality, and movement—to challenge the hegemonic power of institutionalized archives. Drawing on Taylor's framework from The Archive and the Repertoire, the research argues that performance-based representation offers a more dynamic, affective presence for historical narratives, countering the static legitimacy of archival evidence. The study employs qualitative analysis to explore how these sites balance remembrance with ethical spectatorship, providing insight into the complex interplay between memory, trauma, and public commemoration.
Hope in the dark: geographies of volunteer and dark tourism in Cambodia
This study reveals that volunteer tourism in Cambodia, particularly at memorial sites of past violence, fosters hope for a better future by contesting the 'monstrous' legacies of deprivation and atrocities. Volunteers, who engage in medical or community development work, express hopeful beliefs in eradicating poverty through education and healthcare, yet their experiences are shaped by encounters with sites like Khmer Rouge memorials and impoverished communities. The research combines interviews with returned volunteers and auto-ethnographic observations to demonstrate how material experiences at these sites can generate hope, offering a post-phenomenological perspective on the geographies of hope.
Looking at the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crimes, Cambodia, on Flickr and YouTube
Social media platforms, particularly Flickr and YouTube, inadvertently serve as archives that document the visual history of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Cambodia. This study reveals how users' photographs and videos, shared online, contribute to a collective memory of the site, which was once a center of repression under the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–9). The research analyzes the processes of remediation—how users communicate and share their experiences—and examines the mechanisms of community building among these digital accounts. While these platforms foster some sense of community, their effects remain limited, highlighting both the potential and constraints of using social media for preserving and interpreting sites of historical significance.
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.
Death on display
Memorial sites for mass atrocities, while intended to foster reconciliation and national unity, often exacerbate underlying tensions related to national belonging. This study examines how local communities in Cambodia and Rwanda engage with such sites, which prominently display human remains and artifacts of violence. Using ethnographic data, it reveals that these memorials, curated by post-genocidal regimes, are instrumentalized to bolster the credibility of the state but fail to create a unified narrative of national identity. Instead, they challenge local spiritual beliefs and customs, complicating efforts to reintegrate victims into the national body. The research highlights the complex interplay between memorialization, national belonging, and historical memory, suggesting that such sites may deepen divisions rather than promote reconciliation.
Mnemonic Objects: Forensic and Rhetorical Practices in Memorial Culture
Memorial sites often employ objects as powerful mnemonic devices to evoke collective memory and reflect on violent histories. These objects, such as hair, shoes, or stopped clocks, create a tangible connection to traumatic events, enabling both visitors and survivors to engage with memories through sympathetic kinesthesia—imagining touch even when physical contact is restricted. The study identifies the universal role of these 'familiar' yet representative objects in memorial culture, drawing from fieldwork across 21 countries, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites like those in Cambodia. By analyzing objects deployed in sites commemorating genocide, slavery, nuclear war, and other atrocities, the research reveals their capacity to serve as rhetorical tools for remembering violence while integrating seamlessly into everyday life.
National Memorial Sites and Personal Remembrance: Remembering the Dead of Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek at the ECCC in Cambodia
A significant shift is observed in the perception and commemoration of Cambodia's memorial sites, particularly Tuol Sleng (S-21) and Choeung Ek, from symbols of repression under the Khmer Rouge regime to places of peace and reflection. This transformation is notably influenced by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), which facilitated a process of historical reckoning and personal remembrance. The study employs qualitative research methods, including interviews with survivors and analysis of ECCC proceedings, to explore how these sites have become venues for public memory and reconciliation. This approach highlights the role of formal legal processes in shaping societal narratives around trauma and loss.
Memory and the everyday landscape of violence in post-genocide Cambodia
Research reveals that Cambodia's genocide, while officially memorialized at Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, extends beyond these sites to unmarked locations like the Sre Lieu mass grave and Kampong Chhnang Airfield. These overlooked sites serve as critical lenses for understanding the politics of memory, transitional justice, and the interplay between remembering and forgetting in post-genocide landscapes. The study employs a case study approach to argue that unremarked sites of violence offer deeper insights into contemporary societal dynamics, challenging conventional narratives by highlighting their significance as political resources.
Trauma Site Museums and Politics of Memory
Trauma site museums serve as unique observatories for understanding post-conflict societies' politics of memory. These sites, material testimonies of past violence, offer indexical links to traumatic events, producing distinct meaning effects that challenge traditional representation. A comparative analysis of three trauma sites—Tuol Sleng Museum in Cambodia, Villa Grimaldi in Chile, and the Ustica Memorial Museum in Italy—reveals divergent approaches to memorialization: from 'frozen past' immersion at Tuol Sleng to attenuation in Villa Grimaldi and artistic reinterpretation at Ustica. These variations illuminate how societies preserve, transform, or creatively reinterpret traumatic histories, providing critical insights into the interplay between memory and history in post-conflict contexts.
Governing memory: Justice, reconciliation and outreach at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
Outreach efforts by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) shape public memory, often producing acquiescence or resistance to official narratives of justice and reconciliation. The study reveals that museum and memorial sites, along with public forums, serve as key arenas where conflicting memories of political violence are contested and reframed. While outreach aims to license a dominant reading of Cambodia's past, it encounters ambivalent and resistant responses, illustrating broader challenges to the ECCC's legitimacy. This analysis highlights the complex interplay between institutional efforts to govern memory and public engagement with historical narratives.
The Sounds of Everyday Life in Rithy Panh's Documentaries
Rithy Panh's documentaries offer a unique filmic testimonial that captures the sounds of everyday life and voices of Cambodians affected by war, genocide, and displacement, serving as a haunting memorial to historical trauma. Through films like 'Site 2' (1989), 'The Land of Wandering Souls' (2000), and 'Paper Cannot Wrap Amber' (2007), Panh problematizes documentary filmmaking by confronting viewers with ethical questions about cinema's role in preserving memory. His work, rooted in personal trauma from the Khmer Rouge regime, excavates repressed memories of genocide and its lasting impact on Cambodian society, challenging conventional narratives of Southeast Asia beyond Hollywood's Vietnam War focus.
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