By 1973, after three years of civil war, the Khmer Republic held only a third of Cambodia, while the rest of the country was in the hands of the Khmer Rouge. How did the republican government in Phnom Penh handle the city’s supplies? What foodstuff was available in shops and markets and at what price? Bombardments, combats, and the advancing Khmer Rouge forced people from the provinces to Phnom Penh. How many refugees took shelter in the city? Was it two million? Where and how did they live? Numerous aspects the ‘Lon Nol regime’ and the 1970-1975 conflict are still understudied or unaddressed. Drawing upon, including, Bophana Center’s visual archives, the talk will examine different forms of mobility within wartime Phnom Penh, state efforts to regulate flows of people and goods, and how the material and emotional dimension of archives helps illuminate everyday life during the Khmer Republic.

Thursday, September 11th, 2025, at 6:00pm, Bophana Center

Free Admission

English Language