Phnom Penh during the Cambodian genocide: a case of selective urbicide

摘要

Phnom Penh, as it existed during the Cambodian genocide (1975-79), has been held up as a textbook example of urbicide. However, this representation is not entirely accurate, for Phnom Penh remained a vital city during this period. While the depopulation of Phnom Penh during the Cambodian genocide has received considerable analytic attention, decidedly less research has focused on the city as a 'command-and-control' node in an integrated space-economy. Far from being a 'city with no people', Phnom Penh served as a functioning city and was the catalytic center-point of Khmer Rouge policy and practice. In this paper we begin the task of mapping Phnom Penh as it existed during the years 1975-79. Specifically, we identify and map the location of four broad types of economic institution: administrative, production, distributive, and ancillary. In so doing, we argue that such a geographically informed analysis of Phnom Penh is necessary for it provides the spatial foundation for an understanding of Khmer Rouge practice.