This presentation is in addition to the recently publicized lecture Dr. Caroline Herbelin of Toulouse II-Le Mirail University which will take place on the 3rd of August also in Phnom Penh
Celia Tuchman-Rosta is a Ph.D. Candidate in the department of anthropology at the University of California, Riverside. Her dissertation project, “Survival of an Art: The Revitalization on Classical Dance in Cambodia” investigates the impacts of tourism and globalization on the creative and economic development of Classical Cambodian Dance. It also explores the importance of the art form for identity re-construction and cultural reconciliation after the civil war. She is currently in Cambodia conducting 18 months of ethnographic research in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap with support from the Center for Khmer Studies and Fulbright (the U.S. Department of State).
Abstract: This presentation examines the effects of large-scale processes such as globalization and economics on Classical Cambodian Dance (Robam Boran Khmer). In order to explore this issue, it will focus on four individual artists, two in Siem Reap and two in Phnom Penh. These central examples will show how artists see themselves and their work in relation to tourism, globalization and Cambodia's economy. Analyzing individual artistic experiences will give insight into how the preservation and development of classical dance is connected to the recovery of cultural identity and memory in Cambodia in the decades after devastating civil war. By exploring the stories and creative work of these artists, this discussion will highlight how Robam Boran has become an international symbol of Cambodian culture. It will examine how classical dance has found a niche in Cambodia's economy both in the business world and in the country's cultural tourism industry. Lastly the presentation will discuss how individual artists internalize the issues of tourism and globalization and how this affects their artistic production.
Please visit our website for further information.
http://khmerstudies.org/events/public-lecture-series/
