ABSTRACT
Cambodia is a country known for two contradicting geographies and histories: on one hand, as home to the splendid temple Angkor Wat , the largest religious edifice in the world built during the twelfth century, and on the other hand as the “Killing Fields” – popularized by the Oscar award-winning film of the same name that portrayed the genocide of Cambodians between 1975 and 1979 under the Khmer Rouge (known formally as Democratic Kampuchea ). Visitors who are not well read on Cambodia’s history are often perplexed by the stark contrast between the country’s past glory and the contemporary signs and symptoms of poverty. Although there has been remarkable urban development during the last decade, this paradox remains largely unchanged.
