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byMichelleVachon|December15,2016
AsenseofKhmerhistoryhaspersistedthroughcenturiesofCambodianupheavaland
turmoil,atenuous,ambiguouschainofmemoriessinkingandresurfacingoveravastnessof
forgottentime.Thoseshiftingsandsofmemory—created,sharedandlost—areexploredina
collectionofresearchbeingpresentedtonightattheInstitutFrancais.
Inrecentyears,thenotionof“memory”surroundingtheKhmerRougeeraandCambodians’
remembrancesofthattimehasbecomeapopularthemeinbooksanddocumentsaboutthe
country.WiththeKhmerRougetribunalshiningnewlightontheregime’smasskillings,
foreignresearchershavefocusedonstudyingCambodians’memoriesofthoseyears.
SomehaveusedapproachesthatweredevelopedtostudythetragediesofWorldWarII,
ratherthanlookingintothewaysCambodianshavethemselveslivedthroughandinterpreted
upheavaloverthecenturies,historianGregoryMikaeliansaidlastweek.
“Cambodia’ssocietyisoneoftheoldestintheIndochinesePeninsula,andactuallyconstitutes
anexampleofresilienceovertwomillennia,”Mr.Mikaeliansaid.
LookingintosomeofthewaysthatCambodiansofthepastdealtwithdevastatingeventsled
him,Khmer‐languagelinguistJoseph(Deth)Thach,andNasirAbdoul‐Carime,ahistorianof
Cambodia’s1960s,tocompilethebook“LepassedesKhmers”(“ThePastoftheKhmer”).
Publishedtwomonthsago,itincludesarticlesbyresearchersfromseveralinstitutionsin
FranceandCambodiathataddressthewaysCambodianshaveunderstoodandabsorbed
tragediesacrossthecenturies,whetherthroughlegendsorof icialdocuments.
Attimes,Cambodianshaveevenincorporatedsharedunderstandingsofthepastintoturnof
phrase.TheKhmerwordformemory,“cham,”alsomeans“tolookafter,”“remembering”or
“needing”—connotationssodiversethatresearchhasbarelyscratchedthesurfaceofhow
theymayre lectthewaysCambodianslivewiththeconceptsofmemoryandremembrance,
Mr.Thachwrites.
Somecontributorstothebookwillpresenttheir indingsattonight’sconferenceinPhnom
Penh.
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Inonechapter,Mr.Mikaelianexploresa300‐year‐oldmemory—surviving,ifnecessarilyand
vastlytransformed—amongCambodiansintheearly20thcentury.In1594,forcesfrom
Siam—theempireprecedingmodern‐dayThailand—seizedthethen‐Cambodiancapitalof
Longvekinadefeatthatlatercametosignifythestartofcenturiesofcrisisanddecline,Mr.
Mikaelianwrites.
Cambodianauthoritiesneverrecordedthedefeatinof icialdocuments.Instead,talesand
poemswerecreated.Accordingtoonelegend,originatingintheearly19thcentury,aglorious
Cambodiankingwasdefeatedbytrickery:SiameseforcesthrewsilveratLongvek’sbamboo
barricades,andenteredwhenCambodiansbroughtdownthebarricadestogetthemoney.
Theeventwassaidtobepartofa5,000‐yearcycleofdarknessthatwouldeventuallyleadtoa
newgoldenage.
Theymayhaveusedlegendstoexplainhistoricalevents,Mr.Mikaelianwrites,but
“Cambodiansofeverysocialstatusweredemonstratinganirrefutableawarenessofthepast.”
Documentsfromtheearly17thcenturyinSiamesearchivessuggesttheCambodianking
surrenderedwithoutwagingwar.WhileordinarypeopleblamedSiamesetreachery,and
clungtolegends,Cambodianof icialdompreferredtokeepaveilofsecrecyovermatters.
ThebookwasreleasedaspartoftheresearchcomponentoftheManusastraprogram,
launchedin2012,attheRoyalUniversityofFineArts.
UniversityrectorBongSovathnotedinarecentletterthattheprogram’sultimategoalwas
“tocontributetotheemergenceofascienti iccommunityinCambodiaandLaos.”Thisyear’s
graduatesarereceivingtheirdiplomasduringaceremonyattheChaktomukConferenceHall
thismorning.
[email protected]
When:
Thursdayat6:30p.m.
Where:
InstitutFrancais
What:
ConferenceinFrench,EnglishandKhmer
©2016,TheCambodiaDaily.Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthisarticlemaybereproducedin
print,electronically,broadcast,rewrittenorredistributedwithoutwrittenpermission.
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05/01/2017 19:16