
Series
Volume 52
Forced Migration
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Cambodian Journeys
Stories of Refugees Surviving the Khmer Rouge
Stephen Mamula and Eva Sutton
136 pages, 97 ills., bibliog., index
ISBN 978-1-83695-094-3 $120.00/£92.00 / Hb / Not Yet Published (August 2025)
eISBN 978-1-83695-095-0 eBook Not Yet Published
Reviews
“Profoundly moving and insightful in expanding different kinds of idioms and methods on what it means to `bear witness’ to genocide, war crimes, environmental in/justice.” • Jacqueline Siapno, University of California
“This book is an indispensable resource for those with an interest in the Khmer Rouge period in Cambodia, refugee studies, or human rights studies.” • Eve Zucker, Columbia University
Description
Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge genocide claimed an estimated 1.7 million lives. Survivors faced starvation, torture, and dangerous journeys through mountainous and mine-filled jungles. Upon arriving at refugee camps, they faced uncertainty and hardship before eventually moving to the USA where they struggled to adapt to urban life. This book tells the survival stories of seven Cambodians who endured the Khmer Rouge Genocide, their escape to Thailand, and their difficult resettlement in the United States. It is a collection of first-person oral histories, supplemented by images of documents and photographs, highlighting journeys of resilience, survival, and adaptation amidst profound trauma.
Stephen Mamula is a cultural anthropologist specializing in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia. He has held teaching positions including at Columbia University, Fordham University, and Providence College. He contributed to the volume Figures of Southeast Asian Modernity (University of Hawaii Press, 2013).
Eva Sutton is a transmedia artist whose work explores the intersection of photography, archives, and installation. She is a former Professor of Photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her work has been featured at Exit Art (New York City), Le Centre National de la Photographie (Paris) and Aperture Gallery (San Francisco), among many other venues.