In the Shadows of Utopia is the definitive podcast history of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge. Built on years of research, it tells the full story of Cambodia from the grandeur of Angkor to the devastation of Democratic Kampuchea and beyond.
Rather than treating Cambodia as a sideshow to the Vietnam War, the series puts the country at the center of its own history. It explores the ideas and ideology that shaped the Khmer Rouge, the forces that brought them to power, and the catastrophe of their rule — a revolution that reshaped Cambodia in ways still felt today.
Across dozens of episodes, the podcast goes beyond sensationalism and surface summaries. It explains how and why these events unfolded, tracing Cambodian culture and politics long before the Khmer Rouge emerged and showing how internal tensions and external pressures combined to plunge the country into catastrophe.
Guests and collaborators have included some of the leading voices on Cambodian history and Southeast Asia, such as David Chandler, Craig Etcheson, Sebastian Strangio, Elizabeth Becker, Matt Galway, and Jim Laurie.
