(Phnom Penh): Cambodian historian Theara Thun has been awarded the 2026 AMSEAS Early Career Book Prize for his book, Epistemology of the Past: Texts, History, and Intellectuals of Cambodia, 1855-1970, in recognition of its outstanding contribution to Mainland Southeast Asian studies.

Presented by the Association of Mainland Southeast Asia Scholars (AMSEAS), the annual award recognises the best first book on a Mainland Southeast Asian studies topic by an early-career scholar.

Drawing on Khmer chronicle manuscripts, colonial-era texts, and extensive archival sources, Epistemology of the Past reexamines how historical knowledge was produced, debated, and transformed in Cambodia between 1855 and 1970. The study offers a fresh perspective on the interaction between indigenous historical traditions and Western historiography during the colonial and postcolonial periods.

The AMSEAS prize committee praised the book for its exceptional archival research, conceptual sophistication, and broad scholarly significance, describing it as an important contribution to Cambodian studies, Southeast Asian intellectual history, and historiography.

Published by the University of Hawaiʻi Press in 2024, the award-winning volume has earned international recognition for advancing the understanding of Cambodia's intellectual and historical traditions and their enduring influence on the country's historical consciousness.
=FRESH NEWS