Colonialism

Devotional Dance observed at Angkor a few years after the end of World War II, just before the rejuvenation process initiated by Queen Kossamak in the 1950s.

In French & English (ADB Translation)

The evolution of Phnom Penh as the capital city of Cambodia through the colonial period, the Independence, the civil war and the decades of reconstruction.

In English

Way before Princess Buppha Devi's reinvention of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, a premonition of the "Apsara Princess" figure so central in Cambodia's modernity.

In French & English (ADB Translation)

A compendium reflecting the some 10, 000 postcards issued across French Indochina in the first half of the 20th century, particularly those about Cambodia.

In English

The mapping of Angkor Archeological Site in early modern era

A richly illustrated journey through Indochina, and in particular Cambodia in the early years of the French Protectorate.

In French

One century later, André Malraux's raid on Banteay Srei bas-reliefs is still raising interest and controversy.

In English & French

A compendium of essays on Khmer studies by French and [a few]Cambodian researchers, an academic salute to Cambodia's 1953 accession to independence.

In French

Defining the "religious ethos of a time" when colonial realities fostered "the hope for a righteous dhammik savior-ruler."

In English

A monumental compendium of texts - often never published before - related to the French forays in mainland Southeast Asia, 17th-20th centuries.

In French

An early account of Saigon, the Mekong Delta, Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines by the first US Navy officer who reached Cochinchina in 1819.

A study on 1925 Prince Damrong's Nirat Nakhon Wat,

In English

One of the first literary works - and the most famous one - linking Cambodian tradition to modernity: conventional ពាក្យកាព្យ (pikhap) form, modern message.

In Khmer

An attempt in translating into English one of the poems that marked the birth of Cambodian modern literature.

In English

A rare insight in the life and art of the Cambodian Royal Ballet dancers at the end of the 1920s, a critical period for the court dance form in the Kingdom.

In French

A critical interpretation of earlier travel guidebooks and mapping operations as colonial appropriation of the Angkorean space.

In English

A pioneering study on French colonial literature and 'exoticism' from 1860 to the 1930s.

A rare "photo feature" of a family ceremony inside Phnom Penh Royal Palace in 1901.

A quite ambivalent account of the 1924 visit to Phnom Penh and Angkor by a Siamese dignitary: shared cultural heritage in a time of rising nationalism.

In Thai

An important document on the complex history of boundary definition between Siam [now Thailand] and Cambodia, leading to further historic exploration.

In French