Geopol, Brickell 2014

"The Whole World Is Watching": Intimate Geopolitics of Forced Eviction and Women's Activism in Cambodia

What happened at Boeung Kak Lake (BKL) in 2008?

A Chinese-backed company evicted thousands of residents, filled the lake with sand and mud, and destroyed future homes for urban development.

How widespread were evictions in Phnom Penh between 1990 and 2011?

Around 10% of Phnom Penh’s population was evicted during this period.

What global trend contextualises the BKL evictions?

Globally, around 10 million people per year were displaced during the 1980s and 1990s.

Who are the BKL women?

Women from the Boeung Kak Lake community who campaigned against forced eviction from 2008 onwards.

What is intimate geopolitics?

Intimate geopolitics links everyday, gendered experiences and domestic life to wider geopolitical struggles.

Why is the home politically important in intimate geopolitics?

The home is seen as a “gateway right” connected to privacy, security, intimacy, belonging, and control.

How are the BKL evictions linked to geopolitics?

The evictions reflected China’s growing socioeconomic influence and geoeconomic interests in Cambodia.

What is accumulation by dispossession?

A process where wealth and assets are transferred from ordinary people to elites through mechanisms such as forced eviction.

How was the destruction of homes justified in Cambodia?

The government framed forced evictions and infrastructure projects as being in the “public interest.”

What is domicide?

Domicide is the deliberate destruction of home against the will of the home dweller.

Why is domicide significant in Cambodia?

It echoes forced displacements under the Khmer Rouge regime and shows how homes are destroyed to support economic development.

Who was Phorn Sophea?

A BKL resident promised land titles who later discovered her home would be redeveloped; flooding was intensified near her house after she became an activist.

What does Phorn Sophea’s experience demonstrate?

It shows how geopolitics deeply penetrates everyday domestic and family life.

Why is the concept of domicide criticised?

While useful for exposing violence against homes, it can overlook the agency and resistance of affected people.

How did BKL women resist forced eviction?

They used embodied protest, including wearing cardboard houses, hats with bird nests, and stripping to underwear outside parliament.

What was the symbolism behind the BKL women stripping to underwear?

In a strict Buddhist society, it symbolised vulnerability and compared homelessness to a body without clothes.

How did BKL activists challenge Chinese involvement?

They threatened to boycott Chinese products and criticised China’s portrayal of itself as a “peaceful giant.”

What role did the World Bank play in the BKL case?

The World Bank found it had breached operational policies and admitted failures contributed to forced evictions.

What happened to 13 BKL women activists in 2012?

They were imprisoned for allegedly illegally occupying land.

How did activism affect the family lives of BKL women?

Activism caused marital tensions, miscarriages, divorces, and strategic divorces where husbands separated to protect their jobs.