The Killing of Geography, Genocide and the Unmaking of Space Book

Between 1975 and 1978, the Khmer Rouge carried out genocide in Cambodia unparalleled in modern history. Approximately 2 million died - almost one quarter of the population. Taking an explicitly geographical approach, and a starting point that 'geo-graphy' concerns the writing of space, this book suggests that the Khmer Rouge's activities not only led to genocide, but terracide - the erasure of space.In the Cambodia of 1975, the landscape would reveal vestiges of an indigenous precolonial Khmer society, a French colonialism and American intervention. The Khmer Rouge, however, were not content with retaining the past inscriptions of previous modes of production and spatial practices. Instead, they attempted to erase time and space to create their own utopian vision of a communal society. The Khmer Rouge's erasing and reshaping of space was only a part of a consistent ignorance, neglect and sacrifice of Cambodia and its people - each previous foreign influence also is seen to have attempted not only to rewrite history, but reproduce geography.While focussing on Cambodia, the book provides a clearer geographic understanding to genocide in general and insights into the importance of spatial factors in geopolitical conflict.Read More