The Multiple Pathways to Trauma Recovery, Vindication, and National Reconciliation in Cambodia

Abstract

Trauma theory has long been confined to the domain of psychology with a concern for clinical situations and vignettes. The framing of trauma as an individual or psychological problem is unable to explain what causes changes in public attitudes toward trauma victims because it fails to recognize the collective dynamics and social dimension of trauma. The collective dynamics of trauma have emerged as a vital theme in recent works including constructivist sociological models of collective trauma representations and of the changing impact of international norms. This article engages with these models in the context of the Cambodian genocide by the Khmer Rouge and explores the shifts in public perceptions of formerly stigmatized survivors, considering that trauma recovery is a never-ending process with an uncertain outcome. It is argued that the public perception of what constitutes individual trauma and who is acknowledged as victim depends largely on cultural and political contexts. Field interviews with several victims of forced marriages, a mental health expert, and a former judge illustrate what needs to be done to help traumatized survivors find closure and obtain reparations.