Southeast Asian Literature and Film in Translation
Sophaneth Usphea
Southeast Asia uses the ghost as the representation of spirit of the dead people. There are many types of ghosts, but mostly in the horror film, they represent people who died in a tragic way, or still has procession in life that they unwilling to let go. For instance, Cambodia is very superstitious. We believe in spirits and supernatural powers. Especially Cambodia is mostly impact by this notion. Since Cambodia shifting from Hinduism to Buddhism in 12 centuries, and the belief of supernatural, and ghost are leave a mark to our culture. In Buddhism emphasis on Karma which is the universal casual law by which good or bad actions determine the future modes of an individual’s existence. In a simple term, you give is what you will receive.
I believe that culture is really important in our society, particularly in Southeast Asia. Cambodia and Thailand, in my opinion, have a lot in common, particularly culturally. When we compare Thai horror films to Khmer horror films, we can observe that they have a lot in common in terms of clothing, plots, and the notion of beliefs such as karma. When we watch the film, we can perceive that both civilizations are linked in some way. Nonetheless, because we share the same faith, it is not surprising that we see commonalities between both countries.
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BOOKS
Reincarnating Mae Nak
by Prof. Adam Knee
