Tomorrow, Ohio University will host the 3rd Annual Khmer Studies Forum, presented by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS).
“One thing that makes this forum different than those past is the length, which includes dance, music, martial arts and food in addition to the papers presented,” Christine Su, the assistant director of the CSEAS, said.
This year’s forum has expanded to two full days in order to include all the events.
The CSEAS, located in the Yamada International House on 56 E. Union, has been in existence since the 1960s. In addition to offering an undergraduate certification as well as a master’s degree, Ohio University’s Southeast Asian studies program is a National Resource Center for Southeast Asian studies as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.
The program’s goal is to offer students at all levels, the opportunity to develop an understanding of and conduct research on the strategically important region.
OU’s CSEAS focuses primarily on Malaysia and Indonesia. The center was named a depository for the Malaysian Government in 1987, and is the only one in the U.S.
Thanks to the agreement, the Malaysian Government sends historical, cultural and state documents to the center.
Despite this agreement, the center is striving to better represent Southeast Asia as a whole. The Khmer Studies Forum is an additional step in that direction.
“We want to focus more on the region and to make sure people don’t forget about what has happened there,” Su said, in reference to the Khmer Rouge regime, which resulted in a genocide that killed roughly 2 million people between 1975 and 1979.
The keynote speaker of the Khmer Studies Forum, is Chanrithy Him, author of When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge. Him is a Cambodian survivor of the Khmer Rouge and now works with refugees affected by post-traumatic stress disorder.
“She has visited OU a number of times and likes to come back,” Su said.
The Khmer Studies Forum is not only for those directly engaging in Southeast Asian studies. More than 50 faculty members at Ohio University have experience in, and teach about Southeast Asia.
“Ohio University is very privileged to host such a unique forum as the Khmer Studies. Touching on it in class has sparked my interest in learning more about Cambodia and the area,” Evan Wilkof, a senior studying business and economics, said. “Hopefully by attending the forum, some of the questions … I have about the area will be answered.”
Coffee will be provided during the registration on Friday and Saturday, as well as dinner Saturday night. Attendees are asked to register online so that catering can plan accordingly. Those who wish to attend can register online at www.seas.ohio.edu. The forum is free to attend.
“I think it is going to be a lot of fun,” Su said.
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