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Silence and Voice in Khmer Rouge Mug Shots by Michelle Caswell a Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fu

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Silence and Voice in Khmer Rouge Mug Shots by Michelle Caswell a Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fu Archiving the Unspeakable: Silence and Voice in Khmer Rouge Mug Shots By Michelle Caswell A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Library and Information Studies) at the UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON 2012 Date of final oral examination: 3/20/12 The dissertation is approved by the following members of the Final Oral Committee: Christine Pawley, Professor, Library and Information Studies Kristin Eschenfelder, Professor, Library and Information Studies Alan Rubel, Assistant Professor, Library and Information Studies Michele Hilmes, Professor, Media and Cultural Studies Anne Gilliland, Professor, Information Studies, UCLA ii ABSTRACT: ARCHIVING THE UNSPEAKABLE: SILENCE AND VOICE IN KHMER ROUGE MUG SHOTS Michelle Caswell Under the Supervision of Professor Christine Pawley at the University of Wisconsin Madison Using theoretical frameworks from archival studies, anthropology, and cultural studies, this dissertation traces the social life of a collection of mug shots taken at the notorious Tuol Sleng Prison in Cambodia and their role in the production of history about the Khmer Rouge regime. It focuses on three key moments in the social life of the mug shots: the moment of their creation; their inclusion in archives; and their use by survivors and victims’ family members in establishing narratives about the Khmer Rouge. The dissertation explores the ways in which silences were encoded in each of these moments, how the meaning of these records changes depending on their context, and how their reuse creates an infinite layering of the archive. The first chapter outlines the key theoretical and methodological frameworks employed, namely Trouillot’s conception of silences and the production of history, the records continuum model, and the social life of objects approach. The second chapter details the French colonial roots of the mug shot as a photographic genre in Cambodia, places the creation of the Tuol Sleng mug shots within the Khmer Rouge bureaucracy, and describes the discursive social function the records played in transforming suspects into enemies of the state. The third chapter outlines the confluence of political and economic forces that shaped the mug shots into museum displays, archival collections, and digital databases. The fourth chapter addresses both how the mug shots iii are being used by Cambodians to spark narratives about the past through legal testimony, documentary films, newsletter articles, and how the circulation of photographs of people looking at the mug shots transforms viewers into witnesses and performs human rights in the present. Finally, this dissertation argues that through these many reuses of the mug shots, archival institutions such as the Documentation Center of Cambodia are ensuring that some of the silences embedded in the records at their creation are not perpetuated in the making of archives and narratives about the past. From their original function as bureaucratic records, to their subsequent acquisition into archives, digitization, and publication, and their current reuses as legal and historical evidence, Khmer Rouge mug shots play an active role in an ongoing drama of suffering, memory, and accountability in Cambodia. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, 'Grow, grow.'" - The Talmud I have been blessed with the whispers of countless angels encouraging me to grow over the course of writing this dissertation. My dissertation committee—Christine Pawley, Kristin Eschenfelder, Alan Rubel, Michele Hilmes, and Anne Gilliland—have helped me beyond measure with their thoughtful questions, gentle prodding, and sustained encouragement. I have been very fortunate to have their support over the past few years and know that they will continue to serve as role models in my future. Youk Chhang and the staff and volunteers of the Documentation Center of Cambodia have graciously answered my questions, read drafts of my work, sent copies of publications to the UW-Madison Libraries, and assisted me in conducting research. Their hard work and unrelenting dedication honor the memory of the victims of the Khmer Rouge. I have also received enormous help from archivists at the National Archives of Cambodia and the Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center. These Cambodian archivists who work professionally in difficult political and financial climates with little material reward are a true inspiration to memory workers everywhere. I would not have embarked on this project without the generous support of a Building the Future of Archival Education Doctoral Fellowship from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Much gratitude is due to Anne Gilliland and Elizabeth Yakel for conceiving of this important program that has sustained me intellectually, financially, and socially during my doctoral work and will continue to sustain me for years to come. I was also lucky enough to v receive travel grants to conduct research and attend conferences from the Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies, the Vilas Travel Fellowship, and the Linda B. Richardson Fund for Student Travel at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am grateful to my interview subjects for generously sharing their time and experiences with me: David Chandler, John Ciorciari, Paul Conway, Craig Etcheson, Helen Jarvis, Judy Ledgerwood, Ben Kiernan, and David Walls, as well as several who asked to remain anonymous. Without them, this dissertation could not have been written. It is not easy to maintain high spirits while researching such a grave topic. I am indebted to the music of James Brown, for helping to maintain an upbeat mood in countless dance breaks throughout this three-year process, and Jay-Z, for giving me confidence before every conference presentation and job talk. For my colleagues and friends at the Archives Education and Research Institute, it has been a pleasure learning from and with you over the past three years. Thanks to: Lorrie Dong, Joanna Steele, Joel Blanco Rivera, Amelia Abreau, David Kim, Allison Krebs, Morgan Daniels, Dharma Akmon, Amber Cushing, Joanne Mihelcic, Leisa Gibbons, Amelia Acker, Dalena Hunter, Michael Wartenbe, Brian Cumer, Kim Anderson, and Shannon Faulkhead. Together, AERI crowd, we are changing the field. Professors Sue McKemmish, Wendy Duff, and Verne Harris, also lent their support in crucial stages of my doctoral education. Thanks are also due to my archivist friends Jesse Johnston, T-Kay Sangawand, and Mario H. Ramirez, who each helped make conferences important sites of intellectual growth and social exchange. Above all, this dissertation could not have been written without the wisdom, encouragement, and unbridled enthusiasm of my partners in archival crime: Ricardo Punzalan, who always knows which book vi to recommend at just the right time, and Andrew J Lau, who patiently walked me through the continuum model as my head spun. Their imprint is all over this dissertation. My lifelong friends have listened patiently as I complained about not knowing my life’s calling, and then, I once I found it, have maintained their patience as I complained about how much work it would take to achieve it. Carlyn Kolker, Emily Drabinski, Cassie Adcock, Samip Mallick, Ann Putnam, Heather McClean, Sumayya Ahmed, Berta Bustamante, Bridgette Farrer: You are forever members of my committee. My sister Cherie Caswell Dost and my brother-in- law Hagen Dost have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams with love, interest, and their unparalleled sense of humor. Last but not least, I am eternally thankful to Tomer Begaz, the biggest angel of them all, who tried really hard (usually successfully) not to interrupt me while I was writing, and correctly assured me that nobody gets sick in Cambodia on his watch. His effortless brilliance, natural curiosity, and unwavering commitment sustain me. He will always be the sun and moon and stars in my book. vii CONTENTS Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………… ii Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………….. iv Contents………………………………………………………………………………………… vii Chapter One: Silence, Agency, and the Social Life of Archival Photographs………………….. 1 Chapter Two: The Creation of Sources………………………………………………………… 54 Chapter Three: The Making of Archives……………………………………………………… 106 Chapter Four: The Making of Narratives……………………………………………………… 174 Chapter Five: Conclusion……………………………………………………………………... 236 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………... 258 1 Chapter One: Silence, Agency, and the Social Life of Archival Photographs “Let us stop thinking of photographs as nouns, and start treating them as verbs, transitive verbs. They do things. We need to ask not only what they are of, and what they are about, but also what they were created to do. And when they are preserved or digitized, published, or in other ways repurposed and recirculated, we must ask how their material nature has been altered, and in the process, how the relationships embedded in them have changed, why, and to what end. Archival lessons from these alternative narratives teach that we must… expand the range of questions we ask, so that we may better understand and account for the movement of photographs and changes in their meaning across temporal and spatial, discursive and institutional boundaries….”1 –Joan M. Schwartz “Some information about the past can be provided only by visual images.”2 --Hayden White On October 12, 1976, a young Cambodian woman, Hout Bophana, was arrested by the Khmer Rouge secret police
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