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Abstract

This special issue analyzes specific changes in the lives of rural populations and communities in Pursat Province, southwest Cambodia, during about 30 years since the 1990s by bringing together multi-scale interdisciplinary case studies. The current Cambodian government, which came into existence as a democratic institution in 1993 with the support of the United Nations, has given priority to market principles. Thanks to integrating into the global economy, the country has enjoyed rapid and steady economic development for over three decades. However, the government has not distributed the fruits of action equally among the population. At the same time, the deterioration of natural resources in the country has accelerated. Based on fieldwork conducted from 2011 to 2020, the five case studies in this special issue explore the transformation of living conditions and communities in Pursat Province from an interdisciplinary perspective. The first two case studies, a comparative analysis of rural livelihoods in lowland and upland areas and a comprehensive study of agricultural development, present a complete understanding of the changes. The third case study examines the impact of modern rice-growing activities recently introduced into the irrigated lowland villages. The fourth and fifth case studies reveal the transformation of the environment and local societies in the upland mountainous areas. Collectively, the case studies illustrate the three driving factors in the recent changes among rural communities in the province: the region’s rich natural resources, the expansion of connectivity, and the penetration of the market economy. These three factors in rural Cambodian society’s transformation are not new. However, by reading the five articles one can gain a deeper understanding of how these factors operate in Cambodia’s rural communities in the twenty-first century and the ways in which they have changed people’s lives. The articles serve to expand the knowledge of readers, who could include experts as well as the general public, seeking to understand the transformation of the world in terms of local reality. At the same time, this special issue demonstrates the value of interdisciplinary collaborative research by bringing together researchers of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to study an area and its people’s lives.