Historian of Cambodia, David Chandler, Receives Prestigious Award for Asian Studies
6 April 2018
WASHINGTON DC — A renowned historian of Cambodia, David Chandler, received the top award from the Association for Asian Studies at its 2018 annual conference, held here from March 22-25.

The 85-year-old American academic, who is now professor emeritus at Monash University in Australia, was given the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Asian Studies for his extensive body of scholarly work on Cambodia’s history, politics and culture.

Previous winners of the honor include well-known figures such as Senator J. William Fulbright and political scientist Benedict Anderson.

Chandler’s five books on Cambodia, including the seminal 1983 work “A History of Cambodia,” have been used in classrooms all over the world and translated into multiple languages. Perhaps more importantly, Chandler is credited with helping train a generation of Cambodia-focused scholars and make the country into a focus of study.

“He has helped make Cambodian studies a field, such that there is now a group that meets here every year specializing in Cambodia,” said Katherine Bowie, president of the Association for Asian Studies.
https://www.voacambodia.com/a/david-cha ... 36025.html

He's a great author and historian, I love his work. I just recently bought this book for the second time, I have a copy in Europe but it must be 15 years since I read it. The details on the Japanese occupation are awesome.:


https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Cambodia ... 300057520/

David Chandler Mulls New Edition of His “History of Cambodia” With More Pessimistic Ending
13 April 2018
WASHINGTON DC — David Chandler, a renowned American historian of Cambodia, says he is looking into publishing a 5th edition of his seminal 1983 work “A History of Cambodia” with a more pessimistic ending.

“The new edition, if I go ahead with it, and I think I probably will, is going to be different from the 4th edition,” Chandler said in an exclusive interview with VOA Khmer last month.

“I have a feeling that the closing pages of that last chapter, which would take you to 2018 or 2019, whenever I finish writing the book, would be more pessimistic than the last paragraphs were in the 4th edition,” he said.

Chandler saw positive changes in terms of liberalization and democratization when he was concluding the current version of the book, which was last revised in 2007, but in the past decade Cambodia has taken backward steps, he said.

At that time, he explained, “I just saw more possibilities for positive political changes in Cambodia …opening up and liberalizing and so on. I saw more of them in 2005 when I wrote the last edition than I do now. I think the political scene has contracted and it’s become less open to a positive change, or democratization.”
https://www.voacambodia.com/a/david-cha ... 46864.html

Interview with the always interesting Cambodian historian, David Chandler, on China-Cambodia relations.
2 May 2018

What do you think about China’s rising influence in Cambodia today and in the near future?

I think China’s influence in Cambodia today is very strong, and the Cambodian government is perfectly happy with it. Cambodia is not a puppet of China. It’s not serving China’s interests, necessarily. But when an issue comes up that is in China’s interest, Cambodia is going to—as they did with the South China Sea a few years ago—they are going to be a friend of China. It’s their most friendly donor. It’s part of a campaign that China’s had for years of pushing into the countries of Southeast Asia and Africa and Latin America with aid programs that will gain friendship from these governments. They’ve been very successful. Whether it’s a positive development or not, I can’t say, but I don’t think it is going to stop for the foreseeable future. They are not going to withdraw their friendly aid to Cambodia in the future.

Full article: https://www.voacambodia.com/a/china-cam ... 73990.html

Moe wrote: ↑Mon Apr 09, 2018 1:05 am I'm a big fan as well. I'm a bit surprised to learn that he's an American. I'd thought he was an Aussie for some reason.

Two of the three most prominent and prolific writers on Cambodian history are Australians - Milton Osborne and Ben Kiernan, David Chandler would be one of the three on that list too.

{They always would prefer Asian alliances. They’re an Asian country, and Asia countries prefer friends in Asia.}

except for singapore, which has always been a banana in disguise

VOA interview with David Chandler on video.
9 May 2018

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Sat May 12, 2018 9:07 pm VOA interview with David Chandler on video.
9 May 2018

That's a fantastic interview, very down to earth and a tad depressing but very realistic.