Cambodia's Second Kingdom is an exploration of the role of nationalist imaginings, discourses, and narratives in Cambodia since the 1993 reintroduction of a multiparty democratic system. Competing nationalistic imaginings are shown to be a more prominent part of party political contestation in the Kingdom of Cambodia than typically believed. For political parties, nationalistic imaginings became the basis for strategies to attract popular support, electoral victories, and moral legitimacy. Astrid Noren-Nilsson uses uncommon sources, such as interviews with key contemporary political actors, to analyze Cambodia's postconflict reconstruction politics. This book exposes how nationalist imaginings, typically understood to be associated with political opposition, have been central to the reworking of political identities and legitimacy bids across the political spectrum. Noren-Nilsson examines the entanglement of notions of democracy and national identity and traces out a tension between domestic elite imaginings and the liberal democratic framework in which they operate

About the Author

Astrid Noren-Nilsson is a political science consultant, contributing author, and political and security analyst for various international concerns. She is vice president of the Cambodian Institute for Strategic Studies (CISS), Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and former research fellow for KITLV, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Reviews

Cambodia's Second Kingdom provides unique insight into the dynamics of Cambodian elites' representations of their respective visions for the nation in multiparty politics after the United Nations-sponsored general election in 1993... [t]his book offers an excellent example of discourse analysis and will be a good reference on Cambodia's domestic politics for years to come.

* Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences *

Offers some interesting theoretical insights.... Most arguments are developed in a way that is theoretically and analytically interesting, as well as empirically rich. To that extent, the book is worth reading and is likely to gain attention at a time when liberal democracy, human rights, and globalization come under challenge and are still in retreat, as evident in various regions of the world, including Southeast Asia.

* Pacific Affairs *


Awards
Short-listed for EuroSEAS Book Prize 2017 (United States).



Book Information
ISBN 9780877277682
Author Astrid Noren-Nilsson
Format Paperback
Page Count 244
Imprint Southeast Asia Program Publications, Cornell University
Publisher Cornell University Press
Weight(grams) 907g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 16mm