Book Review: Anthropological witness: lessons from the Khmer rouge tribunal

Abstract

There is now a growing and timely literature on the role of anthropologists as expert witnesses in law courts. The cases in which they testify may range from asylum applications to crimes against humanity. Hinton’s Anthropological Witness, which is based upon his own experience of acting as an expert witness at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in March 2016, makes an invaluable contribution to this literature. He uses his experience of testifying to address the overarching question of the role anthropology may play in public scholarship in general, and in a high-profile courtroom in particular. Public anthropology, he notes, employs anthropological insights to illuminate issues of public concern, and it uses an accessible writing style to reach a broad readership. Anthropological Witness is an account of how Hinton performed in a public forum to address the question Why Did They Kill? (the title of one his earlier books on the Khmer Rouge). Not only does the book concern theoretical questions relating to the incongruent epistemologies of anthropology and law, but it also carries the reader along with Hinton’s personal journey through a powerful historic moment. The effect is engaging on many levels. In the introduction to Anthropological Witness, Hinton reflects on the pros and cons of agreeing to testify – he is aware that his professional expertise will be aggressively contested. However, he also feels an obligation to the Cambodians who suffered, and a desire to use his knowledge to help prevent the recurrence of atrocities. Ultimately, he therefore agreed to testify. He was then questioned over a four-day period on his knowledge of how the Khmer Rouge treated ethnic Vietnamese, Cham, former Lon Nol soldiers and Buddhist clergy as well as about internal purges. First, Hinton paints the historical background to the ECCC trial at which he testified – Case 002. Case 002 tried Khmer Rouge Brother Number 2, Nuon Chea, and Khmer Rouge Head of State Khieu Samphan for crimes against humanity committed between 17 April 1975 and 6 January 1979. The charges related to the forced movement of people, execution of Khmer Republic soldiers, genocide of Cham and Vietnamese