CSEAS Friday Forum Lecture Series

This paper examines how the cost of Cambodian weddings has increased in recent decades, and how rural young men and their families are experiencing this change. Weddings have transformed from relatively “simple” affairs to complex productions that require the services of professionals. As wedding expenses rise, so too does the associated amount of bridewealth—the money the groom must pay to the bride’s family prior to marriage. Based on ethnographic research, I argue that people are highly anxio