Historical Identity, Border-Making, and the Contemporary  Cambodia–Thailand Conflict Over Preah Vihear

Nur Afiyin Tadore Alauddin

doi:10.63922/ijevss.v5i03.4256

Nur Afiyin Tadore Alauddin Universitas Pertahanan Republik Indonesia, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63922/ijevss.v5i03.4256

Keywords: Keywords: border conflict, Cambodia; colonial cartography; identity; Thailand

Abstract

The Cambodia–Thailand dispute over the Preah Vihear Temple exemplifies the enduring impact of historical identity structures and colonial-era border-making on contemporary security relations in mainland Southeast Asia. Despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings of 1962 and 2013, which legally settled questions of sovereignty, the conflict continued to generate political tension and sporadic military clashes, particularly between 2008 and 2011. This study argues that the resilience of this conflict lies not in legal ambiguity but in identity narratives shaped by centuries of mandala politics, asymmetric colonial interactions, and postcolonial nationalism. Using qualitative methods, historical-document analysis, discourse analysis, and process tracing, this research uncovers how French cartography (1904–1907) transformed fluid mandala spaces into rigid territorial boundaries, producing enduring contestations. Cambodia’s narrative centers on Angkorian civilizational continuity and anti-colonial restoration, while Thailand frames the border as part of “lost territories” resulting from unequal treaties with France. These diverging identities enable political elites to securitize the temple, mobilizing nationalism for domestic legitimacy. The findings demonstrate that legal decisions alone cannot resolve identity-based grievances; durable peace requires joint management mechanisms, ASEAN-supported dialogue, and identity-oriented peacebuilding that integrates historical understanding with contemporary diplomacy.

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