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Article published In: Identity and Communication in Asian Contexts
Edited by Asmah Haji Omar and Michael Dimitrios Hadzantonis
[Journal of Asian Pacific Communication 32:1] 2022
► pp. 6–24

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Communicating time, place, and history

A genealogical analysis of Prolung Khmer (ព្រលឹងខ្មែរ)

 | California State University Dominguez Hills
 | California State University Long Beach
Published online: 4 August 2022
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https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00082.nee
Abstract
Prolung Khmer (ព្រលឹងខ្មែរ, meaning “Khmer Soul” or “Khmer Spirit”), is a culturally salient ideological discourse found in modern Cambodian culture in the homeland and the diaspora. Prolung Khmer draws on symbols and practices from Cambodia’s 2000-year cultural heritage, linking Khmer history, religion, language, the arts, and socio-political relationships in an essentialized ideology of Khmer culture. Using a genealogical analysis, this article traces the historical development of Prolung Khmer from earliest times to the present with examples from Cambodia and the diaspora. We argue that through its use, Prolung Khmer delineates, historicizes, and naturalizes what it means to be Khmer in the homeland and the diaspora.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Origins and symbols of Prolung Khmer
  • Emergence of Prolung Khmer
  • Prolung Khmer in Long Beach, California
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (62)
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