This thesis explores the politics of land grabbing in contemporary Cambodia with a tripartite focus on gender, resistance and state formation. At its centre are questions concerning the impacts of state-sanctioned land transfers to private companies, and how such acquisitions have emerged as sites of resistance among dispossessed citizens, particularly women and indigenous communities, against the backdrop of Cambodia's transition to authoritarianism. Using the "global land grab" debate as an entry point, this thesis inter-weaves insights from feminist political economy, critical agrarian studies and political sociology to examine processes, outcomes and dynamics of state-led land acquisitions. Comprised of four academic papers, the arguments made here are supported by empirical materials gathered over 16 months of field research (2015 – 2019) in four Cambodian provinces.