Youth Culture and the Music Industry in Contemporary Cambodia Questioning Tradition

This book explores young Cambodians’ perceptions of their place in today’s society and how they interact with the country’s arts and culture scene. The popularity of Cambodian hip-hop among youth presents an opportunity for research to dive deeper into the roles of popular music in society and how these roles, in turn, shape Cambodian cultural identities. Research on the above-mentioned topic by local researchers is scarce. There is a gap in the research on the topic of identity, its connection to arts and culture, and how these two are positioned in a broader context of Cambodian identity politics and cultural economy. This book aims to provide a starting point for observation and conversation about youth cultural identities and the subtexts of certain narratives disseminated through music. The book contributes to the global research agenda by adding to the few voices in academia looking at localised models of cultural economies and trying to understand them based on local phenomena observed through local lenses. Utilising the author’s perspective and social experiences as a Cambodian researcher growing up and living in Cambodia, the book provides a unique perspective of the country’s cultural landscape. This will make the book of interest to all scholars of international cultural policy and the global creative economy, especially those with a particular interest in Cambodia.

1 Introduction 2 The Ecosystem of Cambodia’s arts and culture 3 Young Cambodians, cultural identities, and generational differences 4 Music and its reinterpretation in current discourse 5 Connecting the dots: A juncture of identity, youth, culture, tradition, and modernity

Darathtey Din is a communications professional born in Cambodia. Her research interests include Cambodian identity and cultural legacy, and she also publishes a fortnightly newsletter covering diverse aspects of Cambodian politics, economics, arts, and culture.