The Economics of Khmer Heritage

Benjamin Taylor
Cambodian culture, at all levels of society, has always rotated around what is seen as the glory of its ancient civilization. The genocide at the hands of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s decimated knowledge of Cambodia's heritage and severed nearly all links to the past. The city of Siem Reap, though, has weaned opportunities for the revitalization of Khmer culture out of the ever-increasing tourist interest in the nearby temple complex of Angkor Wat. Gradually but determinedly, workshops and institutions have sprung up to revive ancient practices of stone carving and to reestablish links between art and community-centered Buddhist life. Much of the activity naturally caters to the fleeting attention of tourists, and most of the artwork one encounters in Siem Reap consists of watered-down facsimiles of Angkor's imagery. The national government has provided little support to any cultural initiative other than ones ostentatious enough to attract tourism. Local entrepreneurs and self-trained artists, though, are taking it upon themselves to reinstate a creative heritage using what resources and free time they have. Even the modest increase in opportunity that an expanding economy has allowed them is enough to foster their engagement.