Open AccessThrough the Dark Jungle: One Family’s Escape from Cambodia’s Genocide
Author(s) -
Steve Haberlin
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2016.2408
Subject(s) - genocide , vietnamese , jungle , communism , gender studies , refugee , sociology , famine , history , criminology , politics , political science , law , archaeology , philosophy , linguistics
During the 1970s, the communist Khmer Rouge ruled with an iron fist. As part of its “re-education” process, Cambodia residents were stripped of their possessions and forced to work in labor camps. Many lacked food, basic health care, and other necessities and, by the time the Vietnamese overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979, between one to two million people died. This oral history chronicled one family’s story of survival and eventual escape from Cambodia’s genocide. The researcher interviewed four family members, who recollected the events and presented accounts in their own words. The themes of living a harsh existence, fear, following orders, death and suffering, and support from others are explored as possible contributing factors to the family’s survival.