Dr Caroline Bennett on the Cambodian Genocide, mass graves, human remains, DNA identification, anthropology and ethnography

Dr. Caroline Bennett on the Cambodian Genocide, mass graves, the Khmer Rouge regime, the identification of bodies, DNA identification, human remains, genocide research, anthropology, ethnography, notions of haunting, karma, post-genocide and getting involved in research into genocide. Caroline Bennett is a socio-cultural anthropologist, who works on the Cambodian genocide, with a particular focus on mass graves and their dead, and relationships to, and the politics of, those dead in contemporary Cambodia. She also works on the treatment of human remains after mass death, research emerging from her previous training as a forensic anthropologist, and short experience working on forensic humanitarian projects in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iraq. As well as being an anthropologist, Caroline is an advisory board member of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and between December 2021 and August this year, she was Director of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, in the UK parliament. She holds a BSc in Anthropology (University College London), MSc in Forensic Anthropology (Bradford University), MA in Visual Anthropology (University of Kent), and a PhD in Social Anthropology (University of Kent). She is currently a Lecturer in Social Anthropology, with a focus on Human Rights, at the University of Sussex, UK, and an Associate Research fellow at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. To cite this episode, you can use the following citation: Bennett, C. (2023) Interview on The Death Studies Podcast hosted by Michael-Fox, B. and Visser, R. Published 1 June 2023. Available at: www.thedeathstudiespodcast.com, DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.23309723 Check out more episodes or find out more about the hosts! Got a question? Get in touch