From Nom Banh Chok to the Funan Techo Canal: Action Logic and Strategic Evolution of the Cambodian People's Party's Nationalist Mobilization.

Political elites worldwide have often leveraged nationalism for mobilization. In Cambodia, however, the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has, for decades, deliberately avoided engaging in popular anti-Vietnamese nationalism. Instead, it has focused on positive nationalist narratives highlighting its governance achievements and the Khmer shared cultural identity, while occasionally attempting negative nationalism against Thailand. By applying the "topic construction--identity aggregation" model to typical representatives of positive and negative nationalist mobilization of the CPP--the "Eating Nom Banh Chok Together" movement in 2019 and "Supporting the Funan Techo Canal Project" movement in 2024--this article examines the CPP's mobilization logic and strategies at the micro level. It argues that the CPP's positive and negative nationalist mobilization share a similar logic mechanism: nationalist topics are constructed and elevated by political elites, implemented through a disciplined state apparatus and internalized by the broader public through mechanisms of identity aggregation. However, the narrative around the Funan TechoCanal suggests that the CPP, which has close ties with Vietnam, has shifted from avoiding Vietnam-related topics to actively initiating anti- Vietnamese topics, an adjustment of the CPP's nationalist mobilization strategy in response to significant transformations in Cambodia's political landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]