Prolung Khmer (ព្រល ឹងខ្មែរ) in Sociohistorical Perspective

In this article we selectively review Cambodia’s history through the lens of Prolung Khmer (ព្រលឹងខ្មែរ, meaning “Khmer Spirit” or “Khmer Soul”), a complex, multivalent ideological discourse that links symbols and social practices, such as Angkor, Buddhism, Khmer language (written and spoken), and classical dance, in an essentialized Khmer identity. When Cambodians began arriving in the United States in 1975, they immediately and self-consciously deployed Prolung Khmer as a means for asserting a unique cultural identity within the larger society. Through diachronic and ethnographic analyses of Prolung Khmer, we gain a holistic understanding of how it serves as an ideological metaphor for Khmer culture.