Economic Development in the Shadow of Angkor Wat: Meaning, Legitimation, and Myth

Abstract

Economic development does not occur in a vacuum, and this holds especially for human settlements in World Heritage locations, where the “meaning” of place is highly contested. This article examines this issue in the context of Siem Reap, Cambodia, in the shadow of Angkor Wat.The authors introduce a conceptual framework motivated by Roland Barthes and Jean Baudrillard to unravel and delineate four distinct sources of value, derived respectively from use, exchange, symbol, and myth. This framework is then deployed to show how these valuations of place have evolved over three distinct eras: the ancient Khmer period, the French colonial era, and the more recent postcolonial period. In this context the authors show how contemporary economic development in Siem Reap has been shaped by a lingering mentality by which the “meaning” of Angkor continues to be adjudicated by external perspectives. The authors argue for an economic development strategy that seeks to resituate Angkor within the context of a newly articulated meaning of the place from a more locally informed perspective.