Society

While family may be the foundation of society, when families are affected by historical events, political events, or even environmental events, societies evolve.  That evolution often puts people, and families, in situations that they would otherwise not have chosen.  Here, we look at how some sectors of Khmer society have had to adapt to those changing situations.  For better or for worse.

Little Angels: A Journey of Hope by Amy Foo Featured

Cambodia is a land of many stories, and one of contradictions. The Khmer people are incredibly warm, friendly and ever-ready to chat with strangers, despite the country's recent dark chapters. Drivers of the ubiquitous auto-rickshaws (endearingly called "tuk-tuks" because of the noise the engines make when idling) learn English and often speak it fluently, largely thanks to YouTube videos they watch in their free time; necessity forces them to do so in the face of mounting competition from the relentless onslaught of a tourism boom.

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Violence and the Civilising Process in Cambodia by Roderic Broadhurst,‎ Thierry Bouhours,‎ Brigitte Bouhours

In 1939, the German sociologist Norbert Elias published his groundbreaking work The Civilizing Process, which has come to be regarded as one of the most influential works of sociology today. In this insightful new study tracing the history of violence in Cambodia, the authors evaluate the extent to which Elias's theories can be applied in a non-western context.

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Human Trafficking in Cambodia by Chenda Keo

Reporting the findings of a comprehensive study of human trafficking in Cambodia, this book focuses on the characteristics and operations of the traffickers. It provides a theoretical framework that explains the emergence of the phenomenon, and the role of moral panic and western hegemony in the war on human trafficking.

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Women and Sex Work in Cambodia by Larissa Sandy

Prostitution is strongly embedded in local cultural practices in Cambodia. Based on extensive original research, this book explores the nature of prostitution in Cambodia, providing explanations of why the phenomenon is so widely tolerated. It outlines the background of the French colonial period, with its filles malades, considers the contemporary legal framework, and analyses the motivations for sex work, examining in particular how women become locked into debt bondage.

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Security and Women in Post-Conflict Societies by Anuradha Rai

The study has assessed the reconstruction programs in the post-conflict societies of Cambodia and Rwanda in the context of existing security challenges to women compared to their pre-conflict role and status. It has examined the causes of violence against women and how much the political stability, democratic form of government and economic progress helps to ensure security to women.

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The White Building by Guy Singer

This is the story of the residents in a decaying slum in Phnom Penh called the White Building. It is a gritty dark story, full of the true struggles they face - hopelessness, unemployment and poverty. It is the story of the relationship between the honest, hard-working members of society and some on the seedier of the Building's inhabitants - gangsters, drug users, child abusers, pimps and prostitutes. This is a story based on the truth. Because as they say, the truth can often be stranger and more brutal than fiction.

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