Public library at CKS

The Center for Khmer Studies

The Center for Khmer Studies’ (CKS) mission is to support research, teaching and public service in the social sciences, arts and humanities as they relate to Cambodia. We aim to connect Cambodian scholars, students and artists with their international colleagues for the purpose of fostering understanding of Cambodia and Southeast Asia.

Specific objectives of the CKS are to:

• Facilitate research and international scholarly exchange through programs that increase understanding of Cambodia and its region;
• Help strengthen Cambodia’s cultural and academic structures and integrate Cambodian scholars into their regional and international community;
• Promote a vigorous Cambodian civil society.

Founded in 1999, the CKS is an international, non-governmental organization supported by a consortium of universities, organizations, scholars and individuals. The CKS is registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia and incorporated in the United States as a tax-exempt institution under article 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

The CKS is the first and only member institution of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) in Southeast Asia. Our programs are based in two offices in Cambodia: our headquarters in Siem Reap-Angkor and in the capital, Phnom Penh. We also maintain an administrative office in New York City and a support office in Paris, Les Amis du Centre d’Etudes Khmères where it is registered as an Association Loi 1901.
Programs and Initiatives

The CKS seeks to provide a recognizable, common point of exchange, as well as an in-country logistical resource for scholarly research. We think of ourselves as a bridge and a crossroads, a real “center” for institutions, scholars, students and the general public through:

• The CKS Library: the largest public library outside the capital, Phnom Penh, with over 11,000 monographs, books and journals and public computers.
• Fellowships: support the research and education of junior and senior scholars from Cambodia and overseas.
• Research and Training Programs: support the training and integration of young Cambodian scholars into research projects about Cambodia in collaboration with Cambodian and overseas universities.
• Publishing and Translation Program: publishing and/or translating original manuscripts as well as translating much-needed social science and historical texts into the Khmer language.
• Conferences/Events: international, inter-disciplinary workshops, conferences and lectures held in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh establish direct links between Cambodian and international scholars.

Governance and Support

The Center is administered by a Director who is appointed by the Board of Directors. It is supported by a Consortium of domestic and international institutions and individuals and receives funding through foundation grants, corporate support and generous private individuals and groups (see also Support CKS).

Board of Directors

Lois de Menil, Ph.D., President
Anne H. Bass, Vice-President
Olivier Bernier, Vice-President
Dean Berry, Esq., Secretary and General Counsel
Gaye Fugate, Treasurer

Prof. Michel Rethy Antelme, INALCO, Paris
Prof. Olivier de Bernon, Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient, Paris
Emma C. Bunker, Denver Art Museum
Prof. Kieth Rethy Chhem, Universities of Vienna & Ulm
Douglas Clayton, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Darryl Collins, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Prof. Penny Edwards, University of California, Berkeley
Prof. Bion Griffin, University of Hawai’i
Prof. Anne Hansen, University of Wisconsin
Jacques Hennessy, Rome
Prof. Kamaleswar Bhattacharya, Paris
Robert Kessler, Denver, CO
Prof. Alan Kolata, University of Chicago
Prof. Andrew Mertha, Cornell University
Prof. John Miksic, National University of Singapore
Steven Pesner, Esq., New York, NY
Mary L. Porter, Houston, TX
Dr. Dawn Rooney, Bangkok, Thailand
Prof. Son Soubert, Royal University of Fine Arts, Cambodia
The Hon. Benny Widyono, Ph.D., United Nations (ret.)
Bonnie Burnham, Chairman Emeritus
Prof. Thak Chaloemtiarana, Cornell University, Trustee Emeritus
Selma Ertegun, New York, NY, Trustee Emeritus

Michael Sullivan, Ph.D., Director, ex officio

A Consortium-based Organization

The Consortium of the Center for Khmer Studies is a Cambodian and international membership-based network of committed institutions and individuals that include universities, libraries, academic societies and museums. The Center for Khmer Studies’ Consortium serves to bring together individuals and institutions in Cambodia and internationally that are engaged in the field of Khmer and Southeast Asian studies. Members and students can benefit from the Center’s growing network of Cambodian and international researchers.

CKS Institutional Consortium Members, Partners and Affiliates

Cambodia
APSARA Authority (Siem Reap)
Buddhist Institute (Phnom Penh)
Center for Advanced Study (Phnom Penh)
Norton University (Phnom Penh)
The National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh
The National Library of Cambodia, Phnom Penh
Pannasastra University (Phnom Penh)
Royal University of Phnom Penh
Royal University of Fine Arts (Phnom Penh)
Royal Academy of Cambodia (Phnom Penh)
University of Cambodia (Phnom Penh)

U.S. and International
American Association of Asian Studies
Arizona State University, Tempe/Phoenix
Asia Cultural Council
Asia Society
Association of Anthropologists, Ho Chi Minh City
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Sacramento
Central Washington University
Chiang Mai University
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok
Committee of Research Materials on Southeast Asia (CORMOSEA)
Cornell University, Ithaca
Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), Paris, Siem Reap
IPRAUS, Ecole d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville, Paris
Graduate Institute of Development Studies, Geneva
Humboldt University, Berlin
International Institute of Asian Studies, Leiden
Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Paris
Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences-Po)
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore
National University of Singapore
New School University, New York
New York Public Library of Performing Arts
Northern Illinois University, De Kalb
Pacific Rim Council on Urban Development, Los Angeles
Research Institute of Contemporary Southeast Asia (IRASEC), Bangkok
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London
Siam Society, Bangkok
Simmons College
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Southeast Asian Studies Regional Exchange Program (SEASREP), Manila
Southern Institute of Social Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City
State University of New York, Stony Brook University
The J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles
University of Bonn
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Riverside
University of Chicago
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
University of the Philippines, Manila
University of Southern California, Los Angeles
World Monuments Fund, New York