Cambodia: History, Tragedy, and Renewal

Cambodia: History, Tragedy and Renewal
ANTH 21271-99; Equivalent Course CEGU 21271-99

Alan L. Kolata, Bernard E. and Ellen C. Sunny Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Anthropology; Committee on Southern Asian Studies; Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization

Based first at Wat Damnak, a tranquil, historically significant Buddhist monastery that houses the campus of the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) in Siem Reap, Cambodia, we will explore the history, politics and culture of Khmer civilization from the 10th century to the present. Our focus will be on three exceptional periods in the history of Khmer civilization: the cultural florescence of one of the largest indigenous empires of Southeast Asia with its capital at the World Heritage Site of Angkor; the tragedy of repeated Western intervention and the emergence of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in the mid-1970s that resulted in the deaths of 1.7 to 2 million Cambodians; and the contemporary moment of renewal in the form of modernization, accelerating economic development, globalization and the social and environmental impacts of hyper-capitalism.

Over the course of three intensive weeks, we will frequently travel outside the classroom on excursions to explore archaeological, historical, and environmental sites and landscapes that shaped the course of Khmer civilization.

We begin Week One by delving into the ancient emergence of the Khmer social world reflected in the complex material culture, social structures, geopolitics and religious practices of the Angkor civilization.

We will walk, ride and bicycle through the forests of the vast World Heritage Site of the Angkor Temple and Palace complex, including the city of Angkor Thom, commissioned by Jayavarman VII, the most famous Buddhist king of Angkor, the iconic, banyan tree-enveloped Temple of Ta Prohm, and Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious structure built by King Suryavarman II in the early 1100s and dedicated to the Hindu deity, Vishnu. The exquisite bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat, drawing on the epic Sanskritic prose-poems of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, tell vibrant visual stories of demons and kings, invasions and epic battles and the most famous carved stone portrayal of a Hindu myth in existence, the “Churning of the Sea of Milk.” These bas-reliefs are more than artistic masterpieces. They are historical records and evocative religious texts that convey the deep social and spiritual foundations of Khmer Civilization that fused Hindu, Buddhist and Animist beliefs into a unique cultural system.

Outside of Angkor itself, we visit other imperial sites including the exquisitely carved 10th c. temple complex of Banteay Srei, the monumental capital of Koh Ker and the recently rediscovered early Angkorian capital of Mahendraparvata, once hidden in the jungles of the Phnom Kulen mountains. On Phnom Kulen we will view the spectacular cascade of Kbal Spean and swim in the ponds and river that flows over the Temple of a Thousand Lingas and the monumental, carved stone image of the reclining Hindu god Vishnu. This week we will also journey to the Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake, to cruise the lake’s extraordinarily rich ecological biomes that have provided agricultural and fishing livelihoods for millions of people for millennia and visit the unique floating villages that continue to be inhabited by fishing communities.

Site excursions in and around Siem Reap will be interspersed with the screening of films and discussion of readings in CKS’ classroom in Wat Damnak. While back at Wat Damnak, we will meet with resident Buddhist monks and offer them gifts of rice in return for their blessings. We will also visit the elementary school run by the monks to meet and interact with the young students who bring a resounding sense of life to the Wat.

During Week Two, we travel to Phnom Penh to continue our exploration of Khmer civilization from the period of the decline of Angkor through the emergence of Cambodia as a nation state, examining the impact of French colonialism and the struggle for decolonization during the First and Second Indochinese Wars. Our principal focus of this week will be on the rise of the Khmer Rouge, the utter social devastation caused by this revolutionary regime’s genocidal policies from 1975-1979 and the lingering historical legacies of psychological trauma on Cambodia’s people wrought by the regime’s radical attempts to create an imagined agrarian utopia.

We will read the moving testimony of a child survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime, Loung Ung, whose autobiography, First They Killed My Father, was adapted for film and directed by Angelina Jolie. We will view the film at the Bophana Center in Phnom Penh as a complement to our reading of Ung’s book.

Our excursions this week include trips to Oudong, the capital of the Khmer Kingdom from the 16th to the 19th c. after the virtual abandonment of Angkor and preserved historical buildings in Phnom Penh of the French Colonial period which lasted from 1863-1954.

Subsequently, we visit the infamous Khmer Rouge prison of Tuol Sleng (S-21), and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek around Phnom Penh where the most tragic chapter of Cambodian history is memorialized.

Later in the week, we turn our attention to the emergence of a dynamic capitalist economy and the processes of globalization during the 2000s that has seen Phnom Penh transform from a vacant, ghostly city in ruins to a dense, chaotic urban mosaic of garment factories, markets, government ministries, universities, shopping malls, boutique hotels, restaurants, cafés, night clubs, casinos, sprawling condominium developments, decaying colonial period villas and gleaming new skyscrapers. We will visit a garment factory and urban food markets to experience the vibrant contemporary life of Cambodians who are in constant motion in the city and along the banks of the Mekong, Bassac and Tonle Sap Rivers.

In Week Three, we will explore the darker side of economic development to encounter the profound environmental damage caused by an unbridled capitalist economy that has negatively affected the health and wellbeing of the Cambodian population and accelerated the loss of forests, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Lectures and films this week will provide the context for understanding the social and ecological impact and implications of economic development in Cambodia and the broader Southeast Asia region, including the expanding network of hydropower dams that has dramatically altered the flow of the Mekong river and its tributaries irrevocably altering the once productive small holder farms and fisheries of the region.

This week’s excursions will take us first to the city of Kampot to view the Kamchay Dam and hydropower station, La Plantation, a major pepper plantation and the Bokor National Park. We will visit the mountain station of Bokor Hill, a collection of French colonial buildings originally built as a luxury resort and retreat in the early 1920s. From Kampot, we travel to Sihanoukville, Cambodia’s second largest city and a major port complex, to explore the dramatic transformation of the city from a once sleepy coastal town into a major urban center driven by the infusion of Chinese foreign direct investment. We will explore how the influx of licit and illicit capital has affected, for better and for worse, the social and environmental worlds of Sihanoukville.

Our last excursion will take us to the Central Cardamom Mountains to explore one of the last remaining regions of intact tropical forests in Cambodia where several environmental organizations such as Conservation International and Wildlife Alliance are working to conserve the still relatively pristine landscapes and protect endangered species from poaching and illegal logging. We will stay at the Chi Phat Community Ecotourism Village and accompany local guides, who were once poachers themselves, on boat trips and jungle treks through mountains, grasslands and waterfalls to experience a wild world that once covered most of Cambodia.

From the Cardamom Mountains, we return to Phnom Penh for final reflections on the history and potential futures of Cambodia, the Khmer people and its minority populations and enjoy a final going away dinner with our hosts, the staff of the Center for Khmer Studies.

Schedule and site visits are subject to change.

Faculty who teach on this program rotate from year to year. The faculty roster is designated by the program faculty director.

This is a traveling program in which the group will split its time between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, with a few days in more rural locales around the small city of Kampot and the village of Chi Pat in the wilderness preserve of the Cardamom Mountains. Housing will be in local hotels and guesthouses. Housing abroad can vary from year to year, and precise details will be confirmed during the pre-departure process. It is important to recognize the cultural context of housing in Cambodia and understand that the amenities may vary. Although some of these differences may take some getting used to, remember that cultural differences extend to all aspects of your experience abroad. Having realistic expectations for your term in Cambodia will help you approach the study abroad experience with a positive attitude.

Participants in the Cambodia September program will take and receive credit for one 100-unit course. This course is considered part of the students’ Summer Quarter course load and is recorded as a course enrollment on their Summer Quarter registration. The course title, units of credit, and grade are placed on the College transcript.

Completion of a September course abroad will earn students 1 point toward Global Honors, the College’s recognition of exceptional global engagement. Visit the Chicago Language Center’s website for information on how to apply for Global Honors.

Study abroad students pay regular Summer Quarter tuition at the one-course rate, a program fee, and a nonrefundable study abroad administrative fee. The tuition and program fee are paid in conformity with the home campus payment schedule, and a deposit toward the nonrefundable study abroad administrative fee is submitted when accepting a place in a program. Precise figures for the Cambodia September program during the 2025-2026 year are listed below:

Summer tuition for one course: $4,980 (Summer 2026)

Study abroad administrative fee: $675

Cambodia September program fee: $4,000

You can expect to spend in the range of $100 to $125 per week on meals and incidentals while on the program, though frugal students may spend less, and others could spend much more. Bear in mind that while the cost of living in Cambodia is relatively low, it is also possible to run short of money if you are unwary. It is therefore essential that you budget your funds prudently, apportioning your resources so that they last for the duration of the program. If you are planning to travel before or after the program, you should budget accordingly.

Participants in summer College-sponsored programs are eligible for need-based financial aid, following the procedure described on the Summer and September Aid page of the Financial Aid website. For more information about financial aid resources, please see our general Tuition, Fees, and Funding section.

The Cambodia September program is open to University of Chicago undergraduate students only. Applications from outside the University are not accepted.

The program is designed for undergraduates in good academic and disciplinary standing who are beyond their first year in the College. While the program stipulates no minimum grade point average, an applicant’s transcript should demonstrate that they are a serious student who will make the most of this opportunity.

Each application is examined on the basis of the student’s scholastic record and personal statement. If you are interested in applying for this program, please fill out the online application.

To discuss the Cambodia: History, Tragedy, and Renewal program and the possibility of participating, please contact Naira Ovsepyan.