Essay Questions

Understanding Cambodia:  Social Hierarchy, Patron-Client Relationships and Power

            Explain the basic concept of patron-client relationships and how they are believed to have worked historically.  Given what you have read in this course about the recent history and contemporary society of Cambodia, how is this discussion of social hierarchy relevant for understanding Cambodia today?  Or you can make the opposite argument --  that these concepts are outdated and are no longer relevant for understanding contemporary society. 

Democratic Kampuchea: Hierarchy/Egalitarianism and Pol Pot

            Given the radical upheavals of the Khmer Rouge regime, which of the three possible ways to characterize the period as put forward in this essay do you agree with, or do you agree with the author that the best analysis lies in combination of all three possibilities? 

1.       Egalitarianism replaced traditional social hierarchy

2.       One group of leaders replaced a prior group of leaders within the social hierarchy

3.       The traditional social hierarchy was reversed.

The UN Sponsored Elections of 1993: Were They ‘Free and Fair’?

            Write a brief essay that answers the question in the title of this essay.  Were the 1993 elections “free and fair”? 

The July 5-6 1997 "Events": When is a coup not a coup?

            After reading the documents describing the events of the July 5-6, 1997 would you characterize the events as a coup d’etat or not?  Back up your argument with evidence from the available sources.