Religion, Resistance and Responding to Genocide: The Cham in Cambodia

Routledge Handbook on Religion and Genocide (Forthcoming)

20 Pages Posted: 16 Dec 2019

See all articles by Rachel Killean

Rachel Killean

The University of Sydney - Faculty of Law; Queen's University Belfast School of Law

Date Written: November 29, 2019

Abstract

This Chapter explores the extent to which religion can provide targeted groups with a means of resisting and responding to acts of genocide. The Chapter adopts as a case study the experience of the Cham Islamic community, a group who were subjected to a genocide during the Cambodian Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979). Much of the research into the Cham’s resistance to genocide has focused on acts of armed rebellion. However, this Chapter shines a light on acts of ‘everyday resistance’ (Scott 1985) employed in the face of genocidal violence, focusing in particular on forms of religious resistance. Drawing from fieldwork in March 2017, as well as accounts from Cham scholars, the Chapter highlights the means through which members of the Cham community strived to keep their religious practice alive in the face of suppression and violence. By focusing on the ‘everyday’, the Chapter also renders more visible the particular role of women in resisting and responding to genocide.

Suggested Citation

Killean, Rachel, Religion, Resistance and Responding to Genocide: The Cham in Cambodia (November 29, 2019). Routledge Handbook on Religion and Genocide (Forthcoming), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3495327

Rachel Killean (Contact Author)

The University of Sydney - Faculty of Law ( email )

New Law Building, F10
The University of Sydney
Sydney, NSW 2006
Australia

Queen's University Belfast School of Law ( email )

School of Law
Belfast BT7 1NN, BT7 1NN
Ireland

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