Khmer Culture Research Articles

Restricting diet for perceived health benefit: A mixed-methods exploration of peripartum food taboos in rural Cambodia.

Food taboos encompass food restrictions practiced by a group that go beyond individual preferences. During pregnancy and lactation, food taboos may contribute to inadequate nutrition and poor maternal and infant health. Restriction of specific fish, meat, fruits and vegetables is common among peripartum women in many Southeast Asian countries, but data from Cambodia are lacking. In this mixed-methods study, 335 Cambodian mothers were asked open-ended questions regarding dietary behaviours during pregnancy and up to 24 weeks postpartum. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to characterize food taboos and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of this practice. Participants were 18-44 years of age, all of Khmer ethnicity and 31% were primiparous. Sixty-six per cent of women followed food taboos during the first 2 weeks postpartum, whereas ~20% of women restricted foods during other peripartum periods. Pregnancy taboos were often beneficial, including avoidance of sugar-sweetened beverages, coffee and alcohol. Conversely, postpartum avoidances typically included nutrient-dense foods such as fish, raw vegetables and chicken. Food taboos were generally followed to support maternal and child health. No significant predictors of food taboos during pregnancy were identified. Postpartum, each additional live birth a woman had reduced her odds of following food taboos by 24% (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.76 [0.61-0.95]). Specific food taboo practices and rationales varied greatly between women, suggesting that food taboos are shaped less by a strict belief system within the Khmer culture and more by individual or household understandings of food and health during pregnancy and postpartum.

The Civilization Crossing over the Border of Nation-States Traces in Sa Kaeo Thailand and Bantaey Mean Chey Cambodia

This article is presenting and describe to the historical background of Sa Kaeo province of Thailand and Banteay Mean Chey province of Cambodia. With used thearcheological evidences both writing document and unwritten. For searching to the answer of the problem point of cultural societies changed about the many peoples inthis border from the Khmer culture came to Siamese civilization. As it’s a guideline of the importance areas and tourist attractions in the borders. This is a path to madecompanionship relations between Thailand with Cambodia.

Communicating time, place, and history

AbstractProlung Khmer(ព្រលឹងខ្មែរ, meaning “Khmer Soul” or “Khmer Spirit”), is a culturally salient ideological discourse found in modern Cambodian culture in the homeland and the diaspora.Prolung Khmerdraws on symbols and practices from Cambodia’s 2000-year cultural heritage, linking Khmer history, religion, language, the arts, and socio-political relationships in an essentialized ideology of Khmer culture. Using a genealogical analysis, this article traces the historical development ofProlung Khmerfrom earliest times to the present with examples from Cambodia and the diaspora. We argue that through its use,Prolung Khmerdelineates, historicizes, and naturalizes what it means to be Khmer in the homeland and the diaspora.

Young Khmer Women’s Expectation on Their Future Spouse

Society is constantly moving and changing. Criteria for choosing a life partner is very important for each person and so are Khmer girls in Vietnam. To find out the criteria for choosing a life partner of Khmer women today, the author uses the survey questionnaires and in-depth interviews with 20 Khmer female second-year students in School of Vietnam Southern Khmer Language, Culture, and Arts, Tra Vinh University. The results show that 80% of interviewees think that marriage is important in life, 65% set up their criteria for choosing a life partner with a stable career. 75% share the same opinion that those who have been monastics are knowledgeable, virtuous, have an altruistic, tolerant heart, have mature thoughts, and have a deep understanding of Khmer morality and customs.

Khmer women and their feminist consciousness in Khmer folk songs in Vietnam

Khmer folk songs have occupied an important position in the Khmer folk lyrical genre. It is a literary type that has contributed to create the unique color and appearance for the treasure of Khmer folk literature. Through the specific genre characteristics, Khmer folk songs is not only the lyrics that reflect the life, thoughts, and feelings of Khmer people but also has markedly performed the features and acoustics of cultural conditions and the territory in which folk songs were born. In addition, the customs and habits are the valuable factors that have greatly determined the expressions, reflection contents, thinking inference, image choosing, etc., in Khmer folk songs. The article generalizes the roles and positions of Khmer women in the Khmer's conception and then describes the manifestations of feminist consciousness in folk songs basing on the conception along with the characteristics of Khmer folk songs. Thereby, the article affirms the values that have created the vitality and beauty of Khmer women in particular, and Vietnamese women in general. Keywords: feminism, Khmer women, Khmer folk songs, Khmer folk literature, Khmer culture. DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/67-07 Publication date: May 31 st 2022

THE BUILDING OF SAND MOUNTAIN CEREMONY: SYMBOL OF RELIGIOUS CULTURE AT THE KHMER NEW YEAR IN SOUTHERN VIETNAM

Cultural symbols are research objects that many scholars are interested in when studying cultures. The article is based on the structural theory of symbolic anthropology (or interpretive anthropology) to study and decipher the meaning of sand mountains in Khmer culture. The building of sand mountains duringceremonies on New Year’s Day is an important cultural and spiritual activity that illustrates religious harmony with cultural life during traditional festivals. In the article, the symbolic meaning of the sand mountain is deciphered to explore the cultural values and religious philosophies hidden in the heart of Khmer culture in Southern Viet Nam.

The Role of Religion in Connecting the Khmer Community in An Binh Commune, Phu Giao District, Binh Duong Province

Unlike the Khmer in the southwestern provinces in the South, the Khmer community in An Binh commune, Phu Giao district, Binh Duong province did not have access to the traditional religion as the Khmer Theravada Buddhism for a long time, which has created the cultural break in the community for many years. From 2019 onwards, the need to learn about the original cultural values of the local Khmer ethnic group has been encouraged and promoted, which has greatly contributed to the idea of building a Khmer Theravada Buddhist temple. In that circumstance, the government of Binh Duong province has created all favourable conditions for Khmer monks to come to this locality to get to know the situation of the Khmer people, build pagodas, and strengthen the Khmer community in order to recreate the ethnic cultural identity. The appearance of the Khmer Theravada Buddhism has profoundly changed the spiritual and cultural life of a group of the Khmer people here. That change is taking place in the direction of enriching the cultural identity of the ethnic community. This article aims to understand the role of religion in connecting the ethnic community and discuss the function of religion in the community life and the values of the communal culture in the spiritual life of Khmer people. In addition, the article also offers recommendations for preserving and promoting the Khmer culture in the current integration context.

"Why Am I the Only One Responsible for the Whole Family?": Expressions of Economic Filial Piety and Financial Anxiety Among Female Survivors of Sex Trafficking in Cambodia

Filial piety has evolved and spread in different ways throughout Asia, with the common thread of deep respect and gratitude towards one’s parents remaining a very strong cultural value. In Khmer culture, filial piety includes the expectation that daughters and daughters-in-law provide daily assistance to parents and parents-in-law. Financial anxiety includes the worry and negative mental health outcomes associated with financial stressors. This article presents findings from the Butterfly Longitudinal Research Study on themes on filial piety and financial anxiety, combining survey results from across multiple years as well as a thematic analysis of themes from focus group discussions and interviews with 77 female study participants over five years in Cambodia. Findings explore the survivors’ feelings of responsibility towards their family and the financial and mental health burden of that responsibility; the cycles of debt experienced by survivors and their families; and the overall feelings of worry, guilt, and stress with respect to financial issues. The research concluded that survivors see filial piety as an expression of gratitude but suffer from financial anxiety as well as financial instability and indebtedness. A framework of financial capability is suggested, acknowledging the centrality of family and the need to embed social work and psychosocial support in any economic reintegration effort. Further analysis is recommended on economic shocks, vulnerable work, and experiences around savings.

Folk Games in Southern Khmer Culture in Vietnam

Folk games have long been viewed as a vivid picture reflecting people’s materials and spiritual life accumulated through multiple generations. Folk game, whether it serves as an entertainment activity in idle seasons, leisure time, or just jollity for children; is aimed at the solidarity and unity of the communities, villages, and the entire national solidarity. Folk games were once a page of precious memories imprinted on the homeland and villages, which nurtured people with good lifestyles and souls. Nevertheless, these days, the role of folk games is no longer blooming as before. The preferences and ways of entertainment of all classes of people, especially the youth, witness more or less changes. For the Khmer residing in the South of Vietnam, an ethnic group associated with the rice farming tradition, folk games in particular and folklore, in general, are of prime importance. This article presents the origin, gameplay and recognizes the cultural values of folk games in daily life and festivals of the Khmer people in the South to contribute to popularizing and preserving the beauty of Khmer culture in today’s society.

The Book of Tea By Kakuzo Okakura. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017. 68 pp. Price: $4.89 (Paperback) and $0.0 (Kindle).

Japanese people who love to live in Cambodia tend to admire Khmer culture and people. However, in their body and mind, Japanese people strongly adhere to their own culture from birth. A book has been written demonstrating what this culture is. Its name is “The Book of Tea”. Author, Kakuzo Okakura originally wrote “The Book of Tea” to a Western audience in the English language in the early 20th century. Okakura, who was Japanese first published his book in 1906 in New York. It was also published in Sweden, Germany, France and Spain. In 1929, the book was translated to Japanese and has since been republished 118 times. Tea is the title of the book, but it is not about only tea. In the book, Okakura explains the term “Teaism”, which refers to the influence of tea in many aspects of Japanese culture, ways of thinking, and life. While it was first published long ago, the ideas of the book have not dated. Many Japanese read and understand the analysis of the author as it relates to situations in Japan in 2020.

The Competitiveness of Soc Trang Ecotourism Associated with Khmer Culture

Tourism is considered one of the key economic sectors in Vietnam as it helps to promote the economic development, increase foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, and improve the living standards of local people. So, this study aims to identify factors affecting the competitiveness of Soc Trang ecotourism associated with Khmer culture based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative research was conducted through focus group discussions with experts, and quantitative research was conducted through direct interviews with visitors at ecotourism sites in Soc Trang province. The study involves questionnaire surveys and multivariate data analysis methods (Cronbach's Alpha test, EFA, CFA, SEM). Research results from 350 respondents demonstrate that all factors have a positive impact on the competitiveness of ecotourism associated with Khmer culture in Soc Trang province. It shows that the competitiveness of ecotourism associated with Khmer culture is influenced by five factors, including: (1) religious ritual customs of the Khmer people; (2) ecotourism infrastructure; (3) traditional festival activities of Khmer people; (4) culinary culture of Khmer people; and (5) folk ritual customs of the Khmer people. From these findings, the study offers some managerial implications to improve the competitiveness of Soc Trang ecotourism associated with Khmer culture.

Tradition and Fermentation Science of prohok, an ethnic fermented fish product of Cambodia

Cambodian foods are increasingly consumed outside Southeast Asia, yet are the subject of remarkably few reports. The Khmer culture and culinary traditions of Cambodian people, both historical and contemporary, depend most heavily on the fermented fish product prohok () as an essential ingredient in a wide variety of dishes. The aim of this report is to better understand the traditions, production methods, and uses of prohok as well as the retention of this essential flavoring and nutritional component of Khmer cuisine. The reported findings include how fish preservation developed to accommodate Cambodia's unique naturally occurring hydrological phenomena and has influenced the ethnic identity and social structure of Khmer people. Commercial and home production of prohok is observed to have socioeconomic and nutritional impact on people. The uses of prohok in main dishes, sauces, soups, and side dishes are explored. Furthermore, this report investigates and reviews the underlying microbiology and chemistry that takes place during traditional fermentations of fish to produce prohok. This foundational knowledge serves as a basis for additional scientific studies to further investigate prohok fermentations with the goal to better understand factors that contribute to the unique regional variation of aromas, textures, and flavors produced by traditional practitioners and beloved by Khmer people.

The Ethnic-Religious Minority of Cham in Cambodia: Reflections from an Ethno-Historical Account

‘Cham’, as an ethnic identity group emerged under the Kingdom of Champa that was spread across parts of present day central Cambodia and southern Vietnam. With a loss of its sovereign identity due to centuries of historical invasions- marked with colonial conquests and civil unrests, most surviving members of the Cham community now reside in scattered provincial regions across Cambodia and Vietnam. The community’s presence in Cambodia, as an ethnic religious minority, saw itself becoming vulnerable to extreme acts of religious persecution and genocidal killings under the Khmer State both, before and during the Khmer Rouge. This ethno-historical account seeks to focus on providing a brief history of the Cham presence in Cambodia; its cultural profile, the intra-identity classifications that the Cham identify with, and capture how do members within the Cham community perceive (and explain) their own identity, and the socio-cultural differences that define them. The study incorporates a narrative-based ethnographic approach- involving interpersonal oral conversations with members of the Cham community residing in Phnom Penh, that are documented in detail here. Each narrative helps one understand the nature of complexities involved in the sub-cultural classification (and in the self-imagination) of those ‘categorized’ as Cham (or often called ‘Khmer Islam’). Long conversations with identified interviewees further allowed the interviewers (the authors) to expand the existing literature available on the ethnic minority’s cultural history and the intra-identity groups existing within it, which actually appear to be more entwined with one another as against the literary perception created (often seeing them as binaries to one another). Based on our observations, we suggest that while the religious identity of Islam predominantly defines (and distinguishes) the Cham from the Khmer majority, still, a peek into their cultural (say, on religious ritual propriety) brings out a more hybrid relationship between the Cham and the Khmer culture, that merits a more intensive evaluation through primary observations.

The Serpent's Tail: A Brief History of Khmer Classical Dance by Prumsodun Ok

Reviewed by: The Serpent's Tail: A Brief History of Khmer Classical Dance by Prumsodun Ok Margaret Coldiron THE SERPENT'S TAIL: A BRIEF HISTORY OF KHMER CLASSICAL DANCE. By Prumsodun Ok. Self-published, 2018. 294 pages including appendices, footnotes and glossary. Available as a free download from academia.com and as a regularly updated website: www.serpentstail.info. For teachers and students of Asian performance traditions, The Serpent's Tale is an extremely useful and informative website focused entirely upon the often-neglected history and development of Khmer classical dance. It is extremely detailed and has wonderful illustrations ranging [End Page 606] from reliefs from the temples of Angkor to contemporary performance videos. The author, Prumsodun Ok, is a Cambodian-American dancer and choreographer specializing in Khmer classical dance; the website demonstrates the depth of his understanding as a practitioner and student of Khmer art, performance, and history. The preface explains that the website … draws upon personal experience and academic sources, anecdotes from my teacher and family, photographs and videos, and news articles and personal analysis. I use mythology and literature, oral and embodied storytelling, visual and performative art, social psychology and linguistics to illuminate my artistic heritage as I see it. (p. 6) Prumsodun Ok also discusses the history and development of Khmer classical dance and its relationship to Thai dance traditions, which has long been a source of contention. This is a continuous theme throughout, and Ok presents cogent responses to established scholars of Southeast Asian performance like James Brandon and Jukka Meittinin whose publications have supported the Thai view that contemporary Khmer dance copies Thai traditions, whereas, as Ok successfully argues, the case is rather the opposite. In an appendix he deals specifically with the erasure of Khmer voices in mainstream scholarship on Cambodian dance and its relationship to Thai traditions. This partisan history provides an important counter to available materials on the history of Khmer performance. Many elements of this "history" will be disputed by scholars, nonetheless, it is a very useful addition to the limited materials available in English on Khmer dance traditions. The website is easy to navigate, with a clear table of contents and list of illustrations at the start. Chapters are arranged in chronological fashion beginning with the "Sacred Roots" of Khmer dance, moving through the post-Angkor periods of Thai domination, the re-assertion of Khmer culture in the nineteenth century, the difficult period of French colonialism and Japanese occupation, the re-assertion of Khmer independence under King Sihanouk, followed by the terrors of the Khmer Rouge period to the re-emergence of Khmer traditional dance in the late twentieth century. The final chapters look at the state of Khmer classical dance today, the rituals associated with it, and Ok's own, sometimes controversial, work that brings together traditional Khmer techniques with contemporary dance in pieces that reflect the choreographer's social and political concerns. The first chapter, devoted to "The Origins of Khmer Dance," elaborates on the title of the site by explaining the significance of the [End Page 607] serpent (naga) in Khmer myth, history, and cosmology and its relationship to sacred dance traditions. There is evidence of dancers depicted on the very earliest archaeological objects and in writing since the sixth century CE, which makes it clear that dancers had an important function in Hindu, Buddhist, and animist ritual and were highly regarded temple servants. The website presents scholarship by Chinese emissary Zhou Daguan who wrote of events observed in Angkor in 1296, and Ok makes use of Angkorean bas-reliefs to support the view that Hindu and Buddhist dance dramas were regular features of early Khmer performance (p. 10). Using photographs of the friezes at Banteay Samre, Angkor Thom, Bayon, and other temples, the website provides an insightful analysis of the physical positions of the figures and notes their relationship to contemporary classical Khmer dance (pp. 11–12). He also makes some interesting connections to Tantric conceptions of the relationship between body and spirit and Tantric ritual connections to Khmer classical dances that are still performed today (pp. 14–17). He cements this idea in the following chapter with an in-depth analysis of "Two Rain...

BANH PHCHUMBÂN, SEN ĐÔNTA FESTIVAL OF VIETNAM SOUTHERN KHMER: TRADITIONS AND MODERN CHANGES

Banh Phchum Ban, Sen Đôn Ta (Ancestors’ Day) has been a symbol of culture, belief, and spirituality, and is thepoint of convergence of Khmer culture. The holiday has gone deeply into the consciousness of the community, with an important role and significance that contributes to educating people in moral standards, such as being environmentally aware, ancestor worship and respecting those who have contributed to the Phum Sroc, to the nation and particularly expressing gratitude to the monks who act as the bridge between religion and state. This article applies perspectives, in accordance to the theory of functions (Functionalism) of the Malnowski, and studies the festival, which is in the process of modernization, with theories built on Ronald Inghart and Waye E. Baker’s methodologies. This research was conducted through fieldwork activities, observations, direct participation in some localities, and collecting and synthesizing literature about the festival made by cultural, philosophical and religious writers. A comparison and analysis assessment on holiday traditions and themodern world has recorded these changes to the festival in present-day life.

Rahu – of Indian origin and the changes in the Southern Khmer culture

Rahu is a god of darkness that originates from the myth of Churning Milky Ocean (Samudra Mantha) of Hinduism. However, when entering the Southern Khmer culture in Vietnam, Rahu’s name, beliefs and legends were reformed. The paper focuses on researching Rahu’s origin, analyzing and valuing the changes in the Southern Khmer culture and in the nations located in the sphere of Theravada Buddhism.

Airborne laser scanning as a method for exploring long-term socio-ecological dynamics in Cambodia

Early Khmer societies developed extensive settlement complexes that were largely made of non-durable materials. These fragile urban areas perished many centuries ago, and thus a century and a half of scholarly research has focussed on the more durable components of Khmer culture, in particular the famous temples and the texts and works of art that are normally found within them. In recent years however there has been a considerable effort to broaden the perspective beyond conventional approaches to Khmer history and archaeology. Remarkable advances have been made in the domain of remote sensing and archaeological mapping, including the application of advanced geospatial techniques such as airborne laser scanning within studies of heritage landscapes at Angkor and beyond. This article describes the most recent applications of the technology in Cambodia, including the results of a newly-completed campaign of airborne laser scanning in 2015—the most extensive acquisition ever undertaken by an archaeological project—and underscores the importance of using these methods as part of a problem-oriented research program that speaks to broader issues within history and archaeology.

Virtually reassembling Angkor-style Khmer temples

Cambodian temples are severely damaged and their reconstruction is complex. Conservators are challenged by a magnitude of stones of unknown original position. Specialists resolve this large-scale puzzle by analyzing each stone, using their experience and knowledge of Khmer culture. Then a trial and error approach is applied which has disadvantages. The weight of the stones of up 1000kg complicates their movement and opposes a safety hazard to workers. Additionally the stones’ relocation should be reduced to a minimum as it promotes their deterioration. This motivated the development of a virtual approach, as computer algorithms lead to a potential solution in less time, thereby drastically reducing the amount of work. The basis for this virtual puzzle are high-resolution 3D models of 135 stones. These stones have an approximately cuboidal form and often feature indentations that are exploited by the algorithm to accelerate the matching process. The general idea is to (1) simplify the high-resolution models, (2) test all feasible combinations and (3) match best combinations and validate the results. Close collaboration with specialists on site ensures overall algorithmic correctness.

Caring for people with intellectual disabilities in poor rural communities in Cambodia: experience from ADD International

The burden of care for a disabled relative traditionally falls on women: mothers, wives, sisters. In Cambodia, Khmer culture is strongly structured around the family unit within which both the role of women and discrimination towards people with disabilities are sanctioned by social hierarchy, perceptions of weakness, and the concept of karmic merit. This article explores the impact of ADD International's project in Cambodia to support people with ‘intellectual disabilities’ – that is, learning disabilities – and aims to assess how this work affected carers, the majority of whom were women.

Radiocarbon Dates from Jar and Coffin Burials of the Cardamom Mountains Reveal a Unique Mortuary Ritual in Cambodia's Late- to Post-Angkor Period (15th–17th Centuries AD)

We present the first radiocarbon dates from previously unrecorded, secondary burials in the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia. The mortuary ritual incorporates nautical tradeware ceramic jars and log coffins fashioned from locally harvested trees as burial containers, which were set out on exposed rock ledges at 10 sites in the eastern Cardamom Massif. The suite of 2814C ages from 4 of these sites (Khnorng Sroal, Phnom Pel, Damnak Samdech, and Khnang Tathan) provides the first estimation of the overall time depth of the practice. The most reliable calendar date ranges from the 4 sites reveals a highland burial ritual unrelated to lowland Khmer culture that was practiced from cal AD 1395 to 1650. The time period is concurrent with the 15th century decline of Angkor as the capital of the Khmer kingdom and its demise about AD 1432, and the subsequent shift of power to new Mekong trade ports such as Phnom Penh, Udong, and Lovek. We discuss the Cardamom ritual relative to known funerary rituals of the pre- to post-Angkorian periods, and to similar exposed jar and coffin burial rituals in Mainland and Island Southeast Asia.