Here at GMRC, we find our inspiration in the classical liberal tradition - the protection of individual right sand the self-determination of local communities. That being said, the focus of GMRC is specifically on economic and legal development, rather than politics.
In recent years, scholarship on the ethnic minority populations in Cambodia and Vietnam has flourished, particularly from scholars working in history and anthropology. And a short drive through Kampot or Kampong Cham depicts the construction of new mosques and steady economic improvements in the rural areas. However, insufficient attention has been paid to the human development and economic position of the country's diverse, ethnic minority populations. From the Cham to the Vietnamese to the Khmer Loeu, it remains difficult to gain a thorough picture as to the economic status of these groups and the unique development challenges that they face and how their needs can be better incorporated into local development programming. GMRC is happy to announce a new project which seeks to fill that gap, i.e., the preparation of a monograph examining the rebuilding of these communities, and exploring the unique hurdles and the success stories of these groups across Cambodia and Vietnam.
We are currently looking for scholars interested in partnering with us and for members of these communities to share, through our blog, their own experiences and what they see as the pressing issues of the day for their respective communities. If interested, please contact us at: info [at] mekongresearch [dot] org
[Brad Murg]
Images (from L to R): "Cham" - [1], [2], [3], Sasha Popovic, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
The Chams, or Cham people người Chăm /người / ជនជាតិចាម / are an ethnic group in Southeast Asia. They are concentrated between the Kampong Cham Province in Cambodia and Phan Rang–Tháp Chàm, Phan Thiết, Ho Chi Minh City and An Giang Province in Central Vietnam.