Cambodge: The Cultivation of a Nation 1860-1945

Southeast Asia: Politics, Meaning, and Memory

by Penny Edwards

This strikingly original study of Cambodian nationalism brings to life eight turbulent decades of cultural change and sheds new light on the colonial ancestry of Pol Pot's murderous dystopia. Penny Edwards recreates the intellectual milieux and cultural traffic linking Europe and empire, interweaving analysis of key movements and ideas in the French Protectorate of Cambodge with contemporary developments in the Metropole. From the naturalist Henri Mouhot's expedition to Angkor in 1860 to the nationalist Son Ngoc Thanh's short-lived premiership in 1945, this history of ideas tracks the talented Cambodian and French men and women who shaped the contours of the modern Khmer nation. Their visions and ambitions played out within a shifting landscape of Angkorean temples, Parisian museums, Khmer printing presses, world's fairs, Buddhist monasteries, and Cambodian youth hostels. This is cross-cultural history at its best. With its fresh take on the dynamics of colonialism and nationalism,

Genres: History, Asia

349 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2006

Reviews

[Revanth Ukkalam · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute tour de force, totally deserving that title! Professor says that nearly till the 2000s, scholarship on Cambodia was nearly impossible - hence explaining a book of such foundational character making an entrance so so late in the scene. But what archival width, what an ear to sources, how richly deliciously detailed... One leaves knowing Cambodia like one's own heart, loving it fully.

[mantareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot of information here to swallow. I like the elegance of the argument but I feel like at times Edwards beats us over the head with it time and time again: that Khmer nationalism was a complex, intertwined product of French and "indigenous" influences. Without doubt, this is a masterly work, but I wished I'd had a bit more time to chew on this book

[Erika Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cultivating and fabricating a history that sells; one that solidifies modernity's nationalism.