About the Project

Then and Now: Historical Photographs of Cambodia is a project linking the history of Cambodia from the past to the present through photographs and descriptions. It is a collaborative project between Arizona State University Libraries and Northern Illinois University Libraries aimed at digitizing old photographs taken by Mimi Palgen Maisonneuve in 1950s and 1960s and photographing the same locations to show contemporary Cambodian life in the year 2007.

The Palgen Photo Collection from the 1950s and 1960s offers a unique look at life in Cambodia from royal ceremonies to the rural life of commoners. This time period is significant because the images record life in Cambodia just prior to the beginning of hostilities that would lead to the Khmer Rouge period and the devastation of the entire Cambodian society. The contemporary photograph collection, taken in June and July 2007, contains pictures of village and rural scenes, everyday images of the urban lives of people in Phnom Penh, Kandal and Kampong Speu provinces, and historical monuments in Siem Reap province. The connection between these old and new photographs illustrates changes in village and urban life in Cambodia over these past few decades.

Judy Ledgerwood (Cambodia scholar and NIU Anthropologist), along with Kheang Un (Political Scientist), and Pisith Phlong (Graduate student in Anthropology as a research assistant), coordinate this project for Northern Illinois University. Christopher Miller (Southeast Asia Bibliographer) and Mimmo Bonanni (Digital Projects Librarian at ASU), coordinate work from Arizona State University with Pamela Nguyen Corey as a research assistant.

View the Palgen Photo Collection