Genocide across Generations: Intergenerational Memories of the Khmer Rouge in the Context of Authoritarianism

The research project aims to further our understanding of the intergenerational transmission of genocide memories in an authoritarian context.

Specifically, the project investigates the intergenerational transmission of memories of the Khmer Rouge in the second generation of perpetrators (or former Khmer Rouge) in Cambodia.

Youth, comprising 33% of the population, live in an increasingly repressive regime where the government continues to use the genocide past to legitimize its authoritarian rule, oppress the opposition, and limit freedom of speech.

These youths have also inherited a divided society, resulting from the Khmer Rouge genocide (1975-1979), which characterizes survivors as either victims or perpetrators.

The suppression of dialogue by the government, coupled with the conflicting accounts of victims and perpetrators, presents a complex environment for youth, especially children of perpetrators, to ascertain the truth.

The project focuses on how memories are transmitted between generations within families of perpetrators and how children of perpetrators navigate the conflicting and complex memories of the Khmer Rouge.

The project is planned for three years and the methods used for data collection comprise a combination of qualitative and ethnographic fieldwork.

The project contributes empirical and theoretical knowledge about the transmission of genocide memories within families of perpetrators and how it is unfolded in the context of authoritarianism.