Saturday, April 27, 2013

Masunaga - Week 4

Hmong America by Chia Youyee Vang

With the settling of the Hmong in spread out regions of the US where their community does not already exist,  it is interesting in how that plays into the fact that it shows the importance of assimilation that the US has put on immigrants, refugees, etc. I think that by separating Hmong communities, it creates an environment in which one is forced to conform to societal norms and risk the deteriorating of one's own culture, language, traditions, etc. The diasporic Hmong community is interesting that, as Vang argues, has multiply faceted dynamics and although focused on issues in America (a domestic perspective) there is still a strong presents of the concerns Hmong face aboard back in Laos and Southeast Asia. The heterogeneity of the Hmong community is very fascinating for myself and I think Vang addresses the diversity in the text very well so far. I wonder though, for the Hmong community, a fairly new refugee community, if at this point in time whether a diasporic of domestic perspective should be emphasized and if so what implications would it have on the community as a whole. I think having the balance between the two perspectives is important when talking about Hmong American issues.  I think that the somewhat domestic perspective Vang takes is very interesting when she addresses the Hmong community and how it has been shaped by the larger American society, politics, economic, etc. conditions.

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