Remaining with the Khmer Rouge: Contemporary Cambodian Performances Addressing Genocide in a Post-genocide Era

Abstract

This article examines how the legacies and experiences of the Khmer Rouge (1975–1979) are expressed by contemporary dancers in Cambodia. It stems from the recognition that such works do not always resort to particular performative formats for their power and effect—specifically those that rely upon testimonial forms that promote the desire for showing, documenting, witnessing and healing. This is not to deny those dynamics in these works, nor the importance of them for artistic expression, but it is to consider how creative praxis can potentially open up additional, and culturally specific, responses to a genocidal era. In particular, the article draws upon ideas of remaining and performing remains to argue that the multiple temporalities of history are leading some artists to express experiences of the regime through forms of performance that articulate hope for the future.